About the Author

Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

See All Posts by This Author

U. S., Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia Gordian Knot.

July 5th, 2009 • Richard Cochrane
Email This Post Email This Post - Print This Post Print This Post -

american-flagiranian-flag1israel-flag1saudi-flag1Saturday Iran accused dissident Mousavi is an agent of the U. S. and that he and others of his ilk should be tried for crimes against the state. Sunday The UK Sunday Times reports that Mossad head Meir Dagan assured Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Saudi Arabia would allow IAF jets to fly over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities,

Within hours the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued an official denial on Sunday morning, saying the report was “completely false and baseless.”

But, the Israeli media has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including former prime minister Ehud Olmert, held meetings with Saudi officials, but the kingdom has denied the reports. “The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source was quoted in the Times as saying.

While Israel has no formal diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, an Israeli source confirmed that the Mossad had “working relations” with the Saudis.

Former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, who recently visited the Gulf, said it was “entirely logical” for the Israelis to use Saudi airspace.

Bolton, who has talked to a number of Arab leaders, added: “None of them would say anything about it publicly, but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn’t trumpet it as a big success.”

Arab states would publicly condemn a raid when they spoke at the UN, but would be privately relieved to see the threat of an Iranian bomb removed, Bolton said.

Referring to the attack on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility in 2007 that Israel is rumored to have launched, Bolton added: “To this day, the Israelis haven’t admitted the specifics but there’s one less nuclear facility in Syria . . .”

A former head of research in Israeli intelligence told the Times that “the Saudis are very concerned about an Iranian nuclear bomb, even more than the Israelis

Post a Response

You must be logged in to post a comment.