China-brokered talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran a ‘troubling' development, former DNI warns
The two Middle Eastern countries agreed to 'resume diplomatic relations,' Friday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to end years of hostilities Friday, one former Director of National Intelligence is sounding the alarm on the "troubling" development in the Middle East.
"The end result is China is stronger, Iran is stronger. The United States and Israel are weaker and the Middle East is more vulnerable. This is a terrible development," former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said on "Cavuto Live" Saturday.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to end years of hostility and re-engage in diplomatic relations following previously undisclosed talks in Beijing between top security officials from the rival powers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The two nations announced the deal following four days of meetings, saying they would "resume diplomatic relations between them and re-open their embassies and missions within a period not exceeding two months."
CHINA DIPLOMATIC SUCCESS AS IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA TO RESUME TIES FOLLOWING SECRET BEIJING MEETINGS
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, center right, poses for photos with Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and other Arab Gulf leaders including Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Omani Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Ruler of Fujairah of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf during the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP) (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP)
Saudi Arabia and Iran also agreed to activate a security cooperation agreement signed in 2001 in addition to earlier agreements on trade, economy and investment. The talks in Beijing concluded an ongoing series of discussions that took place in Iraq and Oman in 2021 and 2022.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ratcliffe highlighted how under the Biden administration relations with China and the Middle East have changed.
"Think about where we were two years ago, the Abraham Accords, peace in the Middle East, and an Iran that was poorer, weaker and less influential than they'd ever been. And the Saudis were likely to be the next participant in the Abraham Accords to improve relations with Israel," he said.
"Two short years later, think about it, because Joe Biden pushed the Saudis away, called them a pariah state, they have now normalized relations with Iran, a country they hate, a country they've been fighting for centuries in a deal that was brokered by our number one adversary that everyone admits is our number one adversary, China."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The reports concerning relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran came on the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping won an official third five-year term as president.
The National People's Congress voted 2,952 to 0 to re-elect Xi, who is 69, putting him on track to stay in power for life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Xi’s victory was a foregone conclusion as he has sidelined potential rivals and filled the top ranks of the ruling Communist Party with his own supporters since he first rose to power in 2012.
The restored relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as Xi's reelection come during a time of heightened warnings from lawmakers and experts about the growing threat from China.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow and Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, spoke with Fox News Digital and noted the significance of China’s role in brokering the deal, which he argued presented an "increased interest" in the politics of the region that will create "deeper political enmeshment."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital that the deal presented "another indicator of tectonic geopolitical shifts taking place in the world."
Ratcliffe added that President Biden's position on China and his foreign policies are putting American national security at risk.
"[Biden] doesn't want to confront China, just as he hasn't for the last two years on any issue. Whether it's a million Americans being killed as a result of a virus or hundreds of thousands being killed as a result of Chinese fentanyl, flying spycraft across our country, the Biden administration wants China to be a friendly competitor, and that's simply not the case," Ratcliffe said. "The intelligence is clear that China is exactly who we warned that they were."
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"I sound like a broken record here, but it goes back to this point about this administration's foreign policies and Joe Biden getting it wrong time and time again."
Fox News' Peter Aitken and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
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