Riyadh's execution of Shia Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was timed to coincide with the expected lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions and the rejuvenation of the Syrian peace process.

Saudi Arabia just beheaded a prominent anti-government activist and Shia cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, on�trumped-up charges of "terrorism", executing him alongside�suspected al Qaeda fighters. The message Riyadh sent was simple enough�� Shia activists are equivalent to�terrorists in�the Kingdom's calculus, and this predictably engendered outrage all across�the world, especially in�majority-Shia Iran. The resultant protests, some of�which regretfully turned violent and targeted Saudi diplomatic facilities, were cited as 'proof' of�Iran's 'aggression' against�Saudi Arabia and became the publicly presentable reason for�why Riyadh cut off�all diplomatic and economic ties with�Tehran.

Suspicious Timing

Sanctions Removal

The timing of�this provocation couldn't be more suspect, since�it convincingly appears as�though the Saudis staged it at�precisely the moment when Iran was expected to�be reintegrated into�the global economy. The UNSC sanctions are widely expected to�be lifted by�the end of�the month or early February, and it looks like�Saudi Arabia wants to�spoil the event by�provoking an anti-Iranian maelstrom that puts pressure on�the EU to�reconsider its planned energy and infrastructure investments in�the country.

Ultimately, France and Germany's economic engagement with�Iran will come down�to whether or not the US gives them the approval to�proceed at�their expected pace, and considering how successful Washington was in�forcing Brussels to�cut its preexisting and very profitable ties with�Moscow, it can't be precluded that it could do the same in�obstructing unestablished and still forthcoming deals with�Tehran. Of relevance, the US is prepping a new round�of unilateral sanctions against�Iran due to�the latter's missile tests in�October, indicating a shift in�strategic attitude towards�the country that strongly suggests a corresponding European reaction.
Syrian Talks

Another event that needs to�be brought up�in the context of�Saudi Arabia's latest anti-Iranian stunt is that the next round�of the Syrian Reconciliation Dialogue is supposed to�begin by�the end of�the month. Various terrorist groups (deemed "moderate rebels" by�the mainstream media) already convened in�Riyadh in�advance of�this forthcoming summit in�order to�receive consultations, so it's a given that the Saudis hold major influence over�an array of�on-the-ground militants there.

Curiously, Turkish President Erdogan paid a visit to�the Kingdom right before�the unannounced execution and shortly after�the terrorist gathering, so connecting the anti-Syrian plot points, it looks like�the Turkey-Saudi-Qatari bloc of�destabilizers plans to�undermine both the Geneva intra-Syrian and Vienna extra-Syrian peace talks. As regards the former, they may now order their radical Islamist proxies into�making unreasonable demands in�order to�sabotage the dialogue process, and per the latter, they might threaten to�temporarily suspend their participation if Iran isn't kicked out.

Hidden Motives

Yemen

The Saudis' War on�Yemen has been a dismal failure, yet their leadership is still obsessed with�continuing the conflict. They hope that their recent anti-Iranian ruse can prompt the "anti-terror" coalition to�increase their supportive contribution to�the theater under�the guise of "countering Iran".

The reader should be reminded that it's less of�an "anti-terrorist" organization and more like�a quasi-legitimized international mercenary marketplace, so what the Saudis really want is a semi-plausible reasoning for�contracting more fighters into�the field.

Additionally, the Ansarallah are Shia, and linking them, their sect, and Iran to "terrorism" in�the Sunni sectarian-manufactured mindset is also meant to�excuse any large-scale crackdown against�Bahraini and Saudi Eastern Province protesters (both of�which are majority Shia) on�cooked-up "anti-terrorist" grounds. The end effect of�all of�this is to�transform the "anti-terrorist" coalition into�an anti-Shia one and institutionalize militant Muslim sectarianism.

Russia

Saudi Arabia and its American "Lead From Behind" masters want to�turn the heat up�against Iran and punish it for�its anti-terrorist cooperation with�Russia. The unipolar world, especially the members that invested billions of�dollars in�regime change terrorists, is angered beyond�belief by�the success that Russia has had in�literally blowing up�their assets in�Syria.

Considering the active and supporting roles that Iran has played on�Russia and Syria's side, most prominently through�the use of�military advisors and allowing cruise missile strikes through�its airspace, there should have been no doubt that some type of�consequences would ensue.

It becomes apparent in�hindsight that the US and Saudi Arabia were taking their time in�plotting their response, which as�is visibly being demonstrated, is a dramatic escalation of�the New Cold War. In the full spirit of�these tense and exclusionary times, a concentrated effort is being made to 'isolate' Iran from�the rest of�the international Muslim community, most of�which is part of�the Saudi-led "anti-terrorist" coalition and thus under�its organizational influence.

Coup Fears

The last main reason why Saudi Arabia chose this specific time to�exacerbate tensions with�Iran was to�strengthen the role of�the Defense Ministry and counter any fears of�a royal coup. To explain a bit more, King Salman is largely seen as�a ceremonial figurehead that's physically incapable of�governing the country, with�the real power resting in�the hands of�the Minister of�Interior and his son, the Minister of�Defense. Respectively, these are the Crown Prince and the Deputy Crown Prince, both of�which are only in�their current positions because of�a surprise shake-up in�the royal succession a few months after�King Abdullah's death.

Many Saudi royals were unhappy about�this decision, and 30-year-old Mohammad bin Salman's reckless War on�Yemen angered them even more. Rumors began to�swirl that some of�the royals were serious in�plotting a coup, and they reached such a fever pitch that The Guardian even reported in�late September on�a mysterious unnamed prince that was at�the forefront of�the regime change movement. However thought-out the plot may have been, it's probably largely sidelined now that tensions have been purposefully ratcheted up�with Iran. In the interests of 'national security', the pervasive mood is such that no 'patriotic' Saudi royal would dare rock the country's stability at�a time when ties with�Tehran have never been worse, essentially quelling the internal revolt for�as long as�the crisis carries on�for (and which probably won't dissipate for�quite some time anyhow).

Global Perspective

Wrapping everything up, the tactics of�staged provocations and multilateral 'isolation' being played against�Iran at�the moment closely mirror those that were earlier used against�Russia. To remind everyone, the US-organized Color Revolution in�Ukraine and subsequent nationalist violence created the conditions where Crimea's residents felt unsafe and opted to�reunify with�the Russian Federation.

The patriotic uprising in�Donbass sprung up�almost concurrent with�that, and the following�Civil War (all of�which was American-provoked) was used as�the excuse for�the West to�sanction Russia. Worse still, NATO exploited this 'opportunity' to�illegally deepen its presence in�Eastern Europe in�contravention to�the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act. Multilaterally and in�conjunction with�the EU sanctioning Russia and NATO marching ever more determined to�the east, the entirety of�Central and Eastern Europe aside from�Belarus, Serbia, and the Republic of�Macedonia united in�presenting a singular front against�Russia.

At the beginning of�2016, almost the exact same thing is now happening to�Iran. Saudi Arabia chose to�savagely behead Sheikh al-Nimr in�order to�create the 'Ukrainian-like' chain of�destabilizing excuses to 'justify' a preplanned multilateral response against�Iran. Just as�NATO and the EU teamed up�against Russia, it now looks like�the Saudis' "anti-terrorist" coalition and other Riyadh-dominated Mideast institutions will do the same against�Iran. Altogether, the general strategy is to�create 'containment' coalitions across�Eurasia in�a desperate bit to�hem in�the most active multipolar forces in�the supercontinent, be it Russia in�Eastern Europe or Iran in�the Mideast.

Accordingly, it follows that China will be next, and the preconditioning necessary for�the next preplanned provocative action is already being practiced in�the South China Sea. If some members of�ASEAN such as�Vietnam and the Philippines formally team up�with the US and Japan to 'contain' China, then the three multipolar Great Powers will only have the shared space of�Central Asia between�them to�exercise strategic maneuverability. As a result, the Eurasian Heartland would become ground zero for�the next regional destabilization, be it a 'Central Asian Spring' or an ISIl-like terrorist invasion, albeit one which has the potential to�offset all three multipolar leaders in�one fell swoop.

By Sputnik