Saudi Arabia's offensive against Iran will likely be limited, as Saudi Arabia runs out of ways to increase the pressure, Iranian political analyst and journalist Kamran Karami told Sputnik Persian.
"It is possible that if Riyadh showed more flexibility and pliancy, we would not have to now trade barbs," Karami told Sputnik Persian.
"There is an impression that in recent years, Saudi Arabia has purposefully sought a reason to break relations with Iran, accusing it, among other things, of starting wars in the region," Karami told Sputnik Persian.
Although Iran has said that Saudi Arabia will face retribution, it has confined the statements to religious rhetoric, saying that such retribution would be "divine," rather than earthly.
Undiplomatic Triumph
Karami, said that Iran has exercised self-restraint by condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions and arresting the perpetrators.
"The calmer anti-Saudi protests in Iran are, the more civil they become, the fewer reasons Riyadh would have to continue a nonconstructive foreign policy toward Tehran," Karami told Sputnik Persian.
In modern-day Iran, attacks on embassies by groups vying for power as a show of loyalty, with little control from the government, according to Carnegie Moscow Center consultant Nikolai Kozhanov.
Karami added that while Saudi Arabia has been able to pressure Bahrain to cut ties with Iran, alongside very poor countries, such as Sudan and Somalia. At the same time, Persian Gulf players were more pragmatic.
"The Emiratis did not break diplomatic relations. They were cunning, downgrading them, which will not affect trade," Karami told Sputnik Persian.
Karami added that resolving the crisis would be crucial for the resolution of conflicts in the region. In the short term, it would be important for Iran to find mediators for negotiations between the two countries.
