Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, after years of warning that it gave their archrival cover to expand its regional influence.
The quick embrace of Trump's announcement on Tuesday reflects a sense of vindication by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have pushed Washington to take seriously both Iran's ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups – security threats they regard as existential.
Saudis rejoiced at Trump's announcement via social media, tweeting photos of him and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with comments including "We prevailed," "Game over," and "Action, not words."
"No deal could ever be struck with the devil, and Saudi Arabia fully supports President Trump's decision. ... Together we prevail," one tweet read.
Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia has been at loggerheads with Shiite Iran for decades, fighting a long-running proxy war in the Middle East and beyond, including armed conflicts and political crises in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
Echoing the Saudi and UAE stance, Trump frequently criticized the nuclear accord for not addressing Iran's ballistic missile program, its nuclear activities beyond 2025, or its role in regional wars.
Gulf Arab states were concerned that the deal was negotiated by countries outside the range of Iran's ballistic missiles.
"Iran used economic gains from the lifting of sanctions to continue its activities to destabilize the region, particularly by developing ballistic missiles and supporting terrorist groups in the region," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It backed Trump's move to reimpose sanctions and urged the international community to work towards a "comprehensive view that is not limited to its nuclear programme but also includes all hostile activities."
UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash tweeted, "Iran interpreted the JCPOA [the nuclear deal] as the concurrence of its regional hegemony. An aggressive Iran was emboldened as a result and its ballistic missile program became both offensive and exportable."
In his speech, Trump condemned Iran's "sinister activities" in backing groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban and al-Qaida – charges Tehran has denied.
Abdulaziz al-Sager, head of the Gulf Research Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said the message was significant.
"We've always said our concern about this agreement in 2015 was that Iran should not take it as carte blanche to go and expand its territorial influence," he said.
"It's good that he mentioned Syria, that he mentioned Yemen, that he mentioned Lebanon – all of the concerns that we have."
Gulf Arab allies had endorsed the 2015 deal but expressed misgivings about decoupling Iran's nuclear program from its actions across the Middle East.
"There is likely to be a feeling of jubilation in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi that the Trump administration – or at least the White House – has now come round to their thinking on Iran's threat to regional security," said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed, who is also the kingdom's defense minister, told CBS News in March that his country would "without a doubt" develop nuclear weapons if Iran did so.
"There is a real risk of escalation, especially between Iran and Israel. While the Gulf states may want to see the U.S. and Israel try to cut Iran to size, I don't think they want to get dragged into a direct confrontation themselves. The consequences could be severe," said Joost Hiltermann, program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group.
Yemeni teacher Iman Taher said he fears Trump's decision will only inflame conflicts in the region.
"Iran will not accept [this] and it will respond and increase its support for the Houthis in Yemen and its allies in Syria and Lebanon," he said.
