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Saudi Arabia and Iran have often behaved as serious rivals for
influence in the Middle East and especially the Gulf area since at
least Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.
While both nations define themselves as Islamic, the differences
between their foreign policies could hardly be more dramatic. In
most respects, Saudi Arabia is a regional status quo power, while
Iran often seeks revolutionary change throughout the Gulf area and
the wider Middle East with varying degrees of intensity. Saudi
Arabia also has strong ties with Western nations, while Iran views
the United States as its most dangerous enemy. Perhaps the most
important difference between the two nations is that Saudi Arabia
is a conservative Sunni Muslim Arab state, while Iran is a Shi'ite
state whose senior politicians often view their country as the
defender and natural leader of Shi'ites throughout the region. The
rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran has been reflected in the
politics of a number of regional states where these two powers
exercise influence including Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain
and others. The 2011 wave of pro-democracy and anti-regime protests
known as the "Arab Spring" introduced new concerns for both Saudi
Arabia and Iran to consider within the framework of their regional
priorities. The Saudi-Iranian rivalry is therefore likely to
intensify as a central feature in the Middle Eastern security
landscape that reaches into both the Gulf region and the
Arab-Israeli theater. This is a reality that will touch upon the
interests of the United States in a number of situations. In many
instances, Saudi opposition to Iran will serve U.S. interests, but
this will not occur under all circumstances. Saudi Arabia remains a
deeply anti-revolutionary state with values and priorities which
sometimes overlap with those of Washington on matters of strategic
interest and often conflict over matters of reform and democracy
for other Middle Eastern states. Additionally, in seeking to
support Middle Eastern stability, the United States must be
prepared to mediate between Riyadh and Baghdad, and thereby help to
limit Iranian efforts to insert itself into Iraqi politics.
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