The Middle East Situation

Tensions in the area, already running high, were raised still further by the incidents in Mecca on 31 July in which 402 pilgrims and security men lost their lives. Saudi Arabia and Iran gave widely differing versions of the events, and Iranian officials responded with invective and threats aimed at both Saudi Arabia and the US. The increasing radicalization of Iran's policy, coupled with its international isolation, at a time when the US is reinforcing its...