Analysts suggest the conflict in Iran is prompting Saudi Arabia to reassess its security approach, potentially allowing China a functional but limited role. Despite this, deep US defense relationships are expected to guide Riyadh's strategy toward regional powers.

The Iran conflict is pushing Saudi Arabia to reconsider its US-led security strategy, with China emerging to play a limited, but functional role, analysts say. However, deep US ties in defence would restrict Saudi Arabia’s broader cooperation with China, they added, as one expert predicted Riyadh was likely to deepen ties with regional powers such as Pakistan and Turkey. In a rare alignment, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the Middle East, initiated a phone...