the expanding role of lebanon's iran backed hezbollah movement in the region let's bring in mark fitzpatrick he is a former united states deputy assistant secretary of state and he joins us from lexington kentucky by skype good to feel the program so what should we be reading into these diplomatic meetings between iran and saudi arabia. well this is a very good step you know the saudis have been wanting the united states to carry their water for them they've been demanding a seat at the table in the talks with iran to restore the j.c. . but now they have their own table to set it directly with iran and you know i don't think they're going to resolve their differences overnight these are very complex issues but it's a good start beyond this taking the pressure off the u.s. or the u.s. not having to push things as you put it why else is this is this a good start well. you know that the iran saudi rivalry is been playing out in many places in the middle east but most of vicious lee in yemen where you know iran doesn't have to be there but they like to have to make trouble for the saudis and the

political vacuum and concerns among some gulf states about the influence of hezbollah in the region mark fitzpatrick is a former united states deputy assistant secretary of state he says joe biden's to retreat from the middle east is pushing saudi arabia to take matters into its own hands. well this is a very good step you know the saudis have been wanting the united states to carry their water for them they've been demanding a seat at the table in the talks with iran to restore the j.c. way but now they have their own table set directly with iran and you know i don't think they're going to resolve their differences overnight these are very complex issues but it's a good start the iraq on saudi rivalry has been playing out in many places in the middle east but most of this is leaked in yemen where you know iran doesn't have to be there but they like to make trouble for the saudis and the way to just stop that troublemaking is to talk directly and to try to persuade iran to stop sending missiles for example to it's a rebel allies i think the united states will be quite happy that the saudis and iran

all struggling to revive the 2050 nuclear deal mark fitzpatrick is a former deputy assistant secretary of state in the u.s. he says the incident comes and during a very delicate political situation in iran it's a very dicey political situation in iraq you know sitting in washington and it's desean up here with a half of the political spectrum opposed to restoring jase if you know in the pilot ministration an incident needless to get it through in tehran it's worse most of the parliament is against dealing with the united states and the supreme leader who calls the shots is very very skeptical of the united states and he's he's given of it is so people authority to negotiate but you know i could i could easily see him decide that on these kind of military attacks he might think united states has had a hand in it. with almost 100 days to go before the tokyo lympics japan has adopted stricter krone virus restrictions curfews are in place on restaurants and businesses and large events have been limited to 5000 people china's top disease control official says their local produce that scenes

are struggling to revive the 2015 nuclear deal mark fitzpatrick is a former.

are struggling to revive the 2015 nuclear deal mark fitzpatrick is a former deputy assistant secretary of state in the u.s. new says this comes at a time when iran is in a very delicate political situation with elections coming up in 2 months. i suppose one can construct a hypothesis that somehow this puts pressure on iran but i i think pretty doubtful that ministration would have gone along with that i really do think that they would have nothing to do with this if they had been asked they would sit don't do this because we're making progress in vienna there's a short. timeline ahead to make further progress and and don't screw it up anyone by not answering a military attacks that iran will then feel it needs to respond to and the whole thing could unravel it's a very dicey political situation in iran and i'm sitting in washington and it's desean up here with the half of the political spectrum opposed to restoring j.c. p.o. and by the administration and incent needless it to get it through in tehran it's worse most of the parliament is against dealing with the united states and the su

well let's take a closer look at the possible fallout from all of this mark fitzpatrick is a former deputy assistant secretary of state in the u.s. joins me now from washington so this incident at natanz comes off to an iranian congo ship was attacked in the red sea and israeli strikes in syria allegedly against iran supports all iran by elements in the country are we seeing an escalation in hostilities. i'm not sure it's an escalation but it is an intensification i think the more precipitating. event that preceded this sacred tac it was such a cyber attack was iran's announcement of it dances in centrifuges let's suppose assume that israel did it they're done puron that there are ways to stop their advances. and so then what reaction are we likely to see because this comes just as the u.s. defense secretary is visiting israel and then also at a time when the u.s. and iran are trying to revive the nuclear deal yes exactly the revival of the nuclear deal is foremost on the minds of u.s. officials and i'm sure that defense secretary austin would have made it clear to his israeli counterparts

political vacuum and concerns among some gulf states about the influence of hezbollah in the region mark fitzpatrick is a former united states deputy assistant secretary of state he says biden's retreat from the middle east is pushing saudi arabia to take matters into its own hands. well this is a very good step you know the saudis have been wanting the united states to carry their water for them they've been demanding a seat at the table in the talks with iran to restore the j.c. peel away but now they have their own table to set at directly with the iran and you know i don't think they're going to resolve their differences overnight these are very complex issues but it's a good start the iraq saudi rivalry is been playing out in many places in the middle east but most vicious leap in yemen where you know iran doesn't have to be there but they like to have to make trouble for the saudis and the way to a to stop that troublemaking is to talk directly and to try to persuade iran to stop sending missiles for example to its rebel allies i think the united states will be quite happy that the saudis and