Saudi Arabia's Position on Iran

There seems to be much confusion around Iran these days. Here's one story from The New York Times that says the Saudis are 'deeply concerned' about Iran's nuclear program:

Rachel Bronson, the CFR's top Middle East expert and author of a new book on Saudi-American relations, Thicker Than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership With Saudi Arabia, says that she does not expect Saudi-American relations to approach the closeness of the Cold War years, when the two countries were allied against the spread of Communism. "We should expect it to be a rockier road, although I do expect the relationship to muddle through," says Bronson, a senior fellow and director of Middle East Studies at the CFR.

"Saudi Arabia is extremely concerned over the possibility of Iran's nuclear proliferation," Bronson says, "and is very concerned about its seeming relentless bid to acquire a successful nuclear program." She notes that the strict form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia has its current origins in 1979, following the rise of Ayatollah Ali Khomeini in Iran.

And here's another article from the Khaleej Times, a UAE newspaper, that says something a bit different:

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it was not concerned about Iran’s Gulf war games, saying Teheran did not pose a threat to its neighbours.

But Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal hinted Riyadh did not back possible Iranian talks with the United States on Iraq.

Iran has tested military hardware in a week of naval war-games, including a land-to-sea missile that analysts say is designed to sink ships in the Gulf, the route for about two-fifths of the world’s globally traded oil.

“It is not the first time they have had manoeuvres,” Prince Saud told a news conference. “We do not believe that they are a threat to any of their neighbours.”

The missile tests come amid a standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme, which the West fears is geared towards building an atomic bomb, a charge Teheran denies.

The Saudi foreign minister called for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.

“We don’t see a danger in Iran acquiring knowledge of energy science for peaceful means,” he said. “The best policy is not to ... expand the number of states that own weapons of mass destruction and to end the acquisition of these weapons in the region.”

In this second article, the Saudis seems to say: no, we don't want more neighbors with nuclear weapons, but no we're not particularly concerned. So we are in a situation even more muddled than the year before the Iraq war. Let's see now, what is Bush's record of competence on Iraq.....?

Rice just admitted the other day that the US has made a thousand tactical mistakes in Iraq (she was shy about admitting strategic mistakes though there have been plenty of blunders in that category too). If Bush is in charge of dealing with Iran, are the Republicans in Congress absolutely certain they want Bush in charge? Are they sure he has the answers this time? Maybe we should all be concerned.