Analysis: More Mideast allies fear U.S. soft on Iran

Jim Michaels | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Israel is not the only vital American ally in the Middle East increasingly alarmed that the U.S. is working too closely with Iran. So are America's most important Arab partners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has trumpeted his worries about a U.S.-Iranian nuclear deal, most recently to the U.S. Congress last week. Equally concerned but less vocal are Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab states who play vital roles as bulwarks against radical Islamists in the region.

Shared interests Washington and Tehran have in driving the Islamic State out of Iraq and Syria are another source of worry for the allies, who do not want to see Iran's radical leadership emerge as a more powerful and potentially nuclear-armed state in the region.

"Distrust in Saudi Arabia toward the United States hasn't been this high since 1973," during the oil embargo, said Michael Rubin, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.

Reports last week that Iran's military was playing a prominent role in an Iraqi offensive to drive Islamic State militants from Tikrit, north of Baghdad, raised a fresh a wave of fear that the United States isn't doing enough to blunt Iran's expansionist designs.

"The situation in Tikrit is a prime example of what we're worried about," Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said during a joint news conference with Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday. "Iran is taking over the country."

Kerry traveled to the region to assure allies that the U.S. would not lessen its vigilance against Iran's expansionism or agree to a bad nuclear agreement that would let Iran develop nuclear weapons.

"Whether or not we are able to reach a deal on the nuclear program, the United States will remain fully committed to addressing the full slate of issues that we have with Iran, including its support for terrorism," Kerry said.

That is a tough sell to Arab countries that have long relied on America to thwart Iran's expansion in the region. Iran is a majority Shiite country, as is Iraq, while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other key U.S. allies are Sunni-led nations.

The Pentagon has taken pains to say it is not coordinating with Iran's military in Iraq. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran's role in the Tikrit offensive could be positive if it leads to defeat of the Islamic State militants. He said it would only be a problem if it triggered renewed sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis, who have long been mortal enemies.

Kerry's and Dempsey's words may not allay the allies' concerns. "Whether we are coordinating or not doesn't matter because the perception is we are letting that happen," Rubin said.

That mistrust is already complicating Pentagon efforts to develop a moderate opposition in Syria to oust the Islamic State from Syria. In doing so, the U.S. may inadvertently help keep Iranian-backed Syrian President Bashar Assad in power. Key allies in the region want Assad overthrown. The U.S. wants him to step down.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in an interview last week that any solution in Syria has to involve the removal of Assad.

Davutoğlu said a flood of 2 million Syrian refugees into Turkey will only be reversed if Assad is removed from power.

Rubin said losing the confidence of leaders in the region will have costs. "We may not think these countries are important now but they have long memories," he said.

Saudi Arabia, for example, has been critical in keeping oil prices low by refusing to reduce its massive production of crude. It also backed the ouster of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, a long-time U.S. irritant.

"When we find ourselves in a crisis the first Arab country we call is Saudi Arabia," Rubin said.