Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom says the West’s support of Mideast authoritarian regimes has been seriously challenged as popular pro-democracy revolutions are changing the region.

The Israeli official said on Monday that Western support for repressive and undemocratic regimes in oil-rich Middle East has suffered immensely due to current political developments there.

Shalom added that Iran is trying to take advantage of recent political developments in the Mideast region, and every effort should be made to stop an Iranian dominance over the oil market for the next 150 years.

The remarks came as Israel has been closely watching regional developments, especially the revolution in neighboring Egypt. Cairo has been a close ally of Tel Aviv and Washington for three decades.

Analysts maintain that the United States and most European countries have more important concerns in the Middle East than democracy.

They say western support for certain countries in the region can only be described as attempts to access cheap oil in order to secure energy issues.

Washington and its allies fear that the popular uprisings in the Middle East would reduce their influence and strip them of oil reserves in the oil-rich region.

(Press TV)