The Sunni Mutahidoun bloc expressed dissatisfaction at the request of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to replace Sabhan and said in an Aug. 30 press statement, “The call to replace Saudi Ambassador to Iraq Thamer al-Sabhan is serious and is unprecedented in the diplomatic customs and traditions between civilized nations. This deliberately harms Saudi Arabia's regional role. This request came in response to the pressure exercised by the unrestrained militias that have long threatened the security of both Iraq and the Arab world. It also came in response to regional agendas that do not like to let Iraq enjoy healthy Arab relations.”
While the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs made no statements about replacing its ambassador, some Iraqi local media outlets reported Saudi Arabia's appointment of a new diplomat. However, Saudi media sources denied the news to Al-Monitor, saying, “Whatever is being said about the appointment of a new Saudi ambassador is not true and Sabhan is staying in Iraq to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
This crisis may lead Iraq to move away from its Arab environment, especially considering that Saudi Arabia has the biggest say and is the largest decision-maker in the Arab world. This could mean that new crises are in store for Iraq, ones that may lead other Arab countries to withdraw their ambassadors.
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