Issue Brief on “Iraq Saudi Relations: A Current Appraisal”

Iraq and Saudi Arabia have often been contenders for a leadership role in the Middle East. However, their relationship has been complex and marked by many ups and downs. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 commenced an era of hostility, which continued until the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The two countries reestablished diplomatic relations in 2015, after a gap of nearly twenty-five years. According to perception in the region, years since then have been characterized by Iranian influence in Iraqi politics. It may be noted that Iraq has been in the crossfire of regional and international tensions since the 1990s, - a period of regional turmoil and conflict ever since Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. With the latest developments in the region, oscillating between serious tensions and relative calm, a good example of which is the thaw between Riyadh and Tehran, it has become imperative for Baghdad to normalize its relationships within the region. Regional calm benefits both Iraq and Saudi Arabia, with the former seeking to stabilize its post-2003 foreign policy and the latter trying to expand its regional clout and open new avenues for economic and security initiatives.

While pursuing economic prosperity, regional countries for many years now have been engaged in efforts to balance out geo-politics and economics. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reviewed Iraq as a pro-Iran state, a degree of hostility in their approach towards Iraq was palpable.[1] However, Iraq played a positive role in facilitating back-channel talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which later concluded in significant advancement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with China playing a pivotal role as a mediator. Iraq hosted five rounds of Iran Saudi negotiations between 2020 and 2022. [2] It has become evident that Baghdad would not like to be embroiled in regional politics or become a proxy. An independent foreign policy aimed at improving relations within the region is what seemingly drives Baghdad to improve bilateral relations with Riyadh. On the other hand, Riyadh also sees this as an opportunity for furthering its increasingly open foreign policy aimed at improving relationships beyond the GCC.

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