If the United States, supported by the permanent members of the Security Council and Germany, has been able — practically after a boycott lasting more than three decades — to normalise relations with Iran after signing a treaty over the nuclear issue, why can’t Saudi Arabia do a similar agreement with Iran over the regions’ many problematic issues?

These sentiments were hinted to me the other day by a high diplomatic source close to the ongoing multiparty discussion between US, Saudi, Russian, Turkish and Iranian officials.

But it seems that any sign of optimism now is somehow premature since the issues in question are directly and indirectly related to the bloody events currently taking place in both Syria and Iraq, in which all big regional powers are heavily involved.