Saudi Arabia and Iran

Abstract

The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran is one that has begun to play a central role in Middle Eastern politics. Historical rivals, the 1979 revolution in Iran added a religious dimension, which became vitriolic given the existential importance of Islam to Riyadh and Tehran. Building upon the spread of religious and ethnic identities and pre-existing schisms between regime and society that deepened with the Arab uprisings, Riyadh and Tehran capitalized upon a fragmenting region in an attempt to shape the Middle East in their image. To understand this, we must consider the importance of religion within the fabric of each state, which goes some way in explaining the prominence of religion within the foreign policies of both Saudi Arabia and Iran. This chapter offers a genealogical approach to understanding the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, considering the importance of religion within the context of each state’s foreign policy agenda. In doing this, the chapter is broken down into five sections: (1) considering the nature of relations between the two prior to the revolution; (2) looking at the first decade of the Islamic republic; (3) considering the scope for rapprochement after Khomeini’s death; (4) looking at the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq; and (5) considering the Middle East after the Arab uprisings.