Gulf states urge reset with Iran as conflict drags on

{"text":[[{"start":9.12,"text":"Gulf states have called for a reset on Iran, with the United Arab Emirates urging a “new mindset” and Qatar advocating for a regional “security framework” with Tehran after the war exposed their vulnerability to Iranian attack and tarnished the US’s credibility in the Middle East."}],[{"start":26.08,"text":"Speaking at an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani described the war against Iran, which the US and Israel launched in February, as a “wake-up call”."}],[{"start":38.96,"text":"He said the Gulf had to “act together responsibly as a region and to make sure that we are having good relations with Iran”. “We are working towards that,” he added. “Our regional partners believe in this.”"}],[{"start":50.64,"text":"Speaking at a separate event, Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, echoed the calls for Arab states to hold a dialogue with Iran, adding that Tehran’s talks with Washington “are not really moving forward”."}],[{"start":63.4,"text":"“We need a new mindset [in] these sorts of discussions about what sort of region we all want,” he said. While talks about the future stability of the region could take place between the US and Iran, Gargash said they “should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level”."}],[{"start":79.32,"text":"The comments reflect a growing acknowledgment across the Gulf that regional states, which had urged the US not to go to war, will have to manage relations with Tehran following the conflict, with Washington bogged down in the hostilities."}],[{"start":92.88,"text":"Sheikh Mohammed said: “Without having a security framework that brings us all together as Gulf countries with Iran, ensuring that none of us is posing a threat [to] the other, this region will not just be continuing in the same way as it used to be.”"}],[{"start":106.4,"text":"In another speech this month, Gargash said: “Iran remains our neighbour, and at some point we will have to find a way to restore what can be restored . . . Geography leaves us no alternative to engagement.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":117.16,"text":"Saudi Arabia has also discussed the idea of a non-aggression pact between Middle East states and Iran since the war erupted, diplomats and analysts said, as part of talks with allies on how to manage regional tensions once the conflict ends."}],[{"start":131.96,"text":"“In thinking about the day after, Gulf leaders recognise that their external guarantor is less reliable, they have a fraught relationship with Iran and they need to manage their own security in the absence of a reliable US anchor,” said Sanam Vakil at think-tank Chatham House. “It’s a necessity but also an opportunity because Iran has been weakened and Middle East states could have agency over their own security arrangements.”"}],[{"start":157.16,"text":"Riyadh is engulfed in a fresh crisis after Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen reignited a more than decade-long conflict with Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, firing almost daily barrages of missiles and drones at the kingdom."}],[{"start":170.753,"text":"US President Donald Trump has resisted appeals from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for American forces to join Riyadh in launching strikes against the Houthis."}],[{"start":180.401,"text":"UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday said he had approved the use of a Royal Air Force refuelling aircraft to help Saudi Arabia in its fight with the Houthis, in an escalation of British involvement in the conflict."}],[{"start":192.96,"text":"Burnham, speaking en route to the UN General Assembly in New York, said Riyadh had requested help, and the UK aircraft would be involved in “defensive air-to-air refuelling” for a limited period."}],[{"start":205.1,"text":"The UAE endured the brunt of Iran’s attacks on its Arab neighbours during the first months of the war, with almost 3,000 missiles and drones fired at the Gulf state. It adopted the most hawkish stance of the Gulf powers, retaliating with scores of its own air strikes on the Islamic republic."}],[{"start":221.44,"text":"But it has since sought to de-escalate tensions as it seeks to protect its status as the region’s pre-eminent finance, trade and tourism hub."}],[{"start":229.62,"text":"This month, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan met Irania President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a summit of Brics nations in India."}],[{"start":240.18,"text":"The broader concern for Arab states is that they have to manage a postwar Iran that is weakened but still poses a threat. Tehran has proven its ability to strike across the region and throttle shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for the Gulf’s exports and imports."}],[{"start":256.66,"text":"Qatar is playing a central role in diplomatic efforts to halt the US-Iran war. There are no direct talks between Washington and Tehran, but mediators have kept backchannels open."}],[{"start":268.24,"text":"Arab leaders are expected to hold talks with Trump on the sidelines of the UN summit in New York this week to discuss the crisis."}],[{"start":275.16,"text":"Pezeshkian and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi are also due to attend the UN summit."}],[{"start":281.24,"text":"Trump told Fox News at the weekend that he would “probably” be open to meeting Iran’s president. He said he was in “deciding mode”, with his options “wiping Iran out”, letting them “rot economically” or making a deal, the US network reported."}],[{"start":299.71,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1790043642_1151.mp3"}