Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that countries seeking to normalise relations with Israel “are betting on a losing horse”, state media reported on Tuesday.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to Khamenei’s remarks that Iran’s efforts to stop countries in the region from forging ties with Israel will fail, citing agreements it signed with Arab nations in 2020.
“Just as Iran hasn’t prevented us from achieving the Abraham Accords, Iran will also not prevent us from expanding the circle of peace for the benefit of the citizens of Israel, the people of the region and all of humanity.”
An Israeli-Saudi normalisation would dramatically redraw the Middle East by formally bringing together two major US partners in the face of Iran — a foreign-policy flourish for President Joe Biden as he seeks reelection in late 2024.
Four Arab states have formalised ties with Israel in pacts known as the Abraham Accords — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
