Prince Turki al-Faisal: Iran and Israel seek to dominate the region

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, stated that the current Middle East crisis reflects the collapse of the regional order over the past two decades, with its roots lying in the ambitions of both Iran and Israel to dominate the region and the West’s fueling of the conflict. Speaking at the 13th session of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, Al-Faisal emphasized the growing need—in an interconnected world experiencing rapid technological change—for frank and open dialogues on shared security and military challenges. He underscored that the Middle East is undergoing an extremely severe crisis that has engulfed many of its countries. He noted that the intermittent clashes between the United States and Iran, and the failure of the understandings reached under the Islamabad Memorandum to hold, keep the risk of violent escalation alive. He also pointed out that the consequences of this conflict are global and grave: the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has disrupted energy flows that power the global economy and vital fertilizers essential for food security, undermined the Arabian Peninsula’s role as a key aviation hub connecting the world, and imposed visible costs on economies and livelihoods—costs that are poised to worsen as long as the conflict remains unresolved.