{"text":[[{"start":9.3,"text":"Saudi Arabia has discussed the idea of a non-aggression pact between Middle East states and Iran as part of talks with allies on how to manage regional tensions once the US-Israeli war with the Islamic republic ends, diplomats said."}],[{"start":22.8,"text":"Riyadh is eyeing as a potential model the 1970s Helsinki Process that eased tensions in Europe during the cold war, said two western diplomats, as the region anticipates a postwar Iran that is weakened but still poses a threat to its neighbours. They added that the non-aggression pact was among various ideas being considered. "}],[{"start":43.35,"text":"Gulf states in particular have been concerned since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran that they would be left with a wounded, more hawkish Islamic regime on their doorstep once the conflict ends and the large American military presence in the region is scaled back."}],[{"start":58.95,"text":"The Helsinki accords, signed in 1975 by the US, European countries and the Soviet Union and its allies, sought to address security issues and foster greater economic co-operation between rival powers."}],[{"start":73.10000000000001,"text":"They have previously been raised as a potential model for the Middle East, where Iran’s neighbours have seen the country as a destabilising force and potential threat since the 1979 Islamic revolution."}],[{"start":85.45,"text":"But the months of war have created a new sense of urgency among Arab and Muslim states to rethink their alliances and the region’s security apparatus. "}],[{"start":95.55,"text":"Many European capitals, and the EU institutions, have swung behind the Saudi idea and have urged other Gulf countries to support it, the diplomats said. They view it as the best way to avoid future conflict and provide Tehran with guarantees that it also would not be attacked. "}],[{"start":112.3,"text":"The US and Iran have been holding back-channel talks over a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But the negotiations have focused on the republic’s nuclear programme, not its missile and drone arsenal or support for regional proxies, which are key concerns of Arab states. "}],[{"start":129.3,"text":"An Arab diplomat said that a non-aggression pact modelled along the lines of the Helsinki process would be welcomed by most Arab and Muslim states, as well as by Iran, which has long sought to project to the US and other western powers that the region should be left to manage its own affairs. "}],[{"start":145.85000000000002,"text":"“It all depends who is in it — in the current climate you are not going to be able to get Iran and Israel . . . without Israel it could be counter-productive because after Iran, they are seen as the biggest source of conflict,” the diplomat said. “But Iran is not going anywhere and this is why the Saudis are pushing it.”"}],[{"start":164.65000000000003,"text":"Iran retaliated against the US-Israeli war by firing barrages of missiles and drones at Gulf states — hitting energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure — and in effect closing the Strait of Hormuz. That has underlined its potential threat to its smaller neighbours."}],[{"start":180.90000000000003,"text":"Some Arab and Muslim states have also become increasingly concerned about Israel’s military conduct in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. Many do not have formal relations with Israel. "}],[{"start":194.80000000000004,"text":"They blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dragging US President Donald Trump into a war they lobbied against. Israel is increasingly seen by many Arab and Muslim states as a belligerent, destabilising force as it continues to launch attacks against Hizbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, while also occupying parts of southern Syria."}],[{"start":216.25000000000003,"text":"There are also divisions among Arab and Muslim states — particularly between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf’s two most influential states — over conflicting visions for the region and economic competition."}],[{"start":229.95000000000002,"text":"The UAE has been the most hawkish Gulf state towards Iran during the war, and has criticised Arab institutions for not being more robust in their response to the Iranian aggression. It has made clear that in the wake of the war, it intends to double down on its relations with Israel. "}],[{"start":246.70000000000002,"text":"Two of the diplomats questioned whether the UAE would be willing to join any arrangement. "}],[{"start":252.05,"text":"Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, meanwhile, have been more supportive of Pakistan-led mediation efforts to broker a deal between the US and Iran to end the war. The kingdom is part of a burgeoning alignment with Pakistan — with which it signed a mutual defence pact in September — Turkey and Egypt."}],[{"start":270.5,"text":"Diplomats say that while they do not have a formal alliance, the states are likely to deepen defence, foreign policy and economic co-operation in the wake of the war."}],[{"start":280.65,"text":"Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that Islamabad had developed a proposal for Qatar and Turkey to join the Saudi-Pakistani defence pact to build an “economic and defence alliance . . . that will minimise dependence outside the region”."}],[{"start":296.2,"text":"The idea of expanding the defence pact was first mooted before the war, a Pakistani official said. "}],[{"start":303.5,"text":"Additional reporting by Humza Jilani in Islamabad and John Paul Rathbone in Istanbul"}],[{"start":316.04999999999995,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1778810188_1848.mp3"}