Saudis Consider Invading Iraq

They'll have to invade. There is no way the Shiite-dominated government of Nouri al-Maliki would consent to Saudi military forces in Iraq. Still, the Saudis appear to be giving serious thought to doing just that.

"Saudi Arabia believes the Iraqi government is not up to the challenge and has told the United States that it is prepared to move its own forces into Iraq should the violence there degenerate into chaos, a senior U.S. official told NBC News on Tuesday.

"Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal made no effort to mask his skepticism Tuesday about President Bush’s proposal to send 21,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq to stem sectarian fighting.

"In fact, Saudi leaders are privately “deeply skeptical” that the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki could implement the U.S. plan, the senior U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell, who is traveling with Rice.

"The Saudis’ primary concern is the Sunni population of Anbar province, the senior U.S. official. The official said the Saudis had informed Washington that they were considering a plan to send troops into the province if Bush’s plan failed."

It seems likely that the Saudis are sabre rattling, trying to jolt Maliki into co-operating with the US commanders. The ramifications of a Saudi invasion are breathtaking. It would be an entirely illegal action that would probably be resisted by the Iraqi army and Shiite militias. It could also trigger an Iranian military response, probably at the request of the Baghdad government.

Meanwhile, Russia's defence minister, Sergei Ivanov, has confirmed the sale and initial deliveries of sophisticated TOR-M1 missile systems to Iran. The weapons will give Iran an advanced anti-aircraft capability at the very time when Iran faces the threat of air strikes from the Israeli Air Force or US Navy carrier forces in the Persian Gulf.