Global powers coming into alignment against Iran following attacks on shipping lanes

In light of Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East, most recently the attack on shipping in the Sea of Oman and the seizure of a British oil tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan made a statement to a U.S. think tank saying that Iran has increased its activity in the region, continuing to supplying weapons to the Houthis in Yemen and threatening maritime security in the Gulf region.

Prince Farhan also said Saudi Arabia is in ongoing discussions with the United States about Iran and its activities.

Referring to the Iran nuclear deal, Prince Farhan said Riyadh is in line with U.S. President Joe Biden’s desire to create a longer and stronger version of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and will support the deal as long as it ensures Iran does not have access to nuclear weapons technology.

With regard to normalization with Israel, Prince Farhan reiterated that his country would not sign a peace agreement with Israel, unless a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was found.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stressed in a letter to Tehran that the time for Iran to sit comfortably and ignite the entire Middle East is over. Bennett stated that Israel is working to mobilize the world against Iran, but also knows how to work alone.

Iran knows the price paid when someone threatens Israel’s security, he added.

Bennett also criticized the European Union for sending a special envoy to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, and said the EU could not talk about human rights in conjunction with honoring a murderer and executioner who had killed hundreds of opponents.

In addition to the letter sent by Israel to the U.N. Security Council concerning the Israeli ship attacked by an Iranian drone, Britain, Romania, and Liberia sent a similar letter to the UNSC, asking it to denounce this act, which they described as maritime terrorism, and to take action against Iran and its regime for repeatedly violating international law.