On the contrary, I believe that the Obama administration actually has a better understanding of history, as well as what is in the best interest of the United States in the long run. For decades, Saudi Arabia has been viewed as one of America’s staunchest allies in the Middle East. This is despite the fact that Wahhabism originating in Saudi Arabia is primarily responsible for fueling anti-American sentiment in the region, and 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11 were Saudi citizens. Nonetheless, due to America’s need for natural resources, and Saudi Arabia’s vast wealth of oil, the two nations are forced to be pretend friends.
The continued spewing of vitriol by hardline Sunni clerics from Saudi Arabia, and the protection offered to them by the Kingdom, combined with the utilization of shale gas and oil by the U.S. has somewhat changed the dynamics of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Recognizing this critical juncture, the Obama administration has apparently decided to improve American ties with Iran at the expense of ties with the Saudis. I am not claiming that Iran and the United States are allies, nor am I claiming that there is no tension between the two. The hardliners in Iran remain belligerent towards the United States and the West, and the two nations also have different goals, such as their desired outcomes in Iraq or Afghanistan. Despite this animosity, however, Iran and the U.S. are potential strategic allies and share common goals, such as defeating the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
Iran and the United States have been adversaries for thirty-six years now. They have a long, intertwined, and at times painful, history. But the American generation responsible for the 1953 coup is long gone, and the Iranian generation at fault for the 1979 revolution and the American hostage crisis is also in the midst of handing the reins over to a new generation. Times and attitudes have changed. Contemporary young Iranians have more in common with their counterparts in United States and the West than any other group in the Middle East, and the recognition of this fact is why Obama and his administration seek to strengthen American ties with Iran at the expense of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.