The Middle East is one of the most discussed regions in world politics since the Second World War. From the 1930s until today, the Middle East has been repeatedly discussed and criticized in world politics. In 1946, the first Cold War started due to the North Iran crisis. Then the birth of the state of Israel in 1948, Suez crisis in 1956, Iran-Saudi Arabia issue. Moreover, the Middle East has become the focal point of world politics due to its geographical and strategic location, historical events and economic development. The conflict between the two powerful states of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran, is continuously increasing. The influence of Russia and the United States is also observed in the strained relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have a long history of opposition. Saudi Arabia is a pro-Sunni state, while Iran is a pro-Shia state. There is an ethnic divide between the two countries. Saudi Arabians and Iranians are Persians. The borders of the two countries are divided by the Persian Gulf. Friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were established in 1929 with the signing of the ‘Saudi-Iran Friendship Treaty’. This relationship did not work after 1960 due to religious ideological differences. Later in 1966 Saudi King Faisal visited Iran. The visit resulted in some improvement in the Saudi-Iranian relationship. Between 1968 and 1979, Iran and Saudi Arabia had the most friendly relations. For this reason, Iran then cooperated in the formation of several Muslim organizations including the OIC. In 1979, the regime of the Shah of Iran was overthrown and a new state system was established under the leadership of the radical Shia Khomeini. Since then, another bitter chapter in Saudi-Iranian relations began. Shia-Sunni and other conflicts led to the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s. The war prompted Saudi Arabia to provide $25 billion in aid to Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and encourage other Gulf states to provide aid. Its purpose was to suppress Iran. All in all, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran is on the decline. Finally, Saudi Arabia supports the US ban on Iran’s nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are two powerful neighboring countries. The rivalry between these two countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region, where the two countries have been competing for many years to maintain regional supremacy, can rightly be compared to the long-running Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Shia-Sunni conflict is one of them. Map of the Middle East region divided into Shia Sunni divisions. In the Saudi camp are other Sunni Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan. On the other side, Iran is supported by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and Türkiye. In Iran and Saudi Arabia, different camps support different groups in different conflicts and oppose each other.
Internal political instability exists. Since 2011, political unrest, anti-government movements, which are known as the Arab Spring, have started in various countries of the Arab world. Politically destabilizing countries throughout the region. Saudi Arabia is using this turbulent situation for its own interests to increase its influence in various countries, especially in countries like Syria, Bahrain and Yemen.
The politics of the Middle East is directly and indirectly affected by the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia in several countries, where not only politics but also economic diplomacy, trade and fundamental rights have been hindered. Saudi Arabia has been supporting various rebel groups against President Bashar Assad in Syria. But with the help of Russia and Iran, the Syrian government forces have been able to defeat them. This power game between Saudi Arabia and Iran has affected millions of ordinary people in Syria. As a result the war does not stop there and the number of injured and killed is increasing daily.
During the Qatar crisis in 2017, some countries in the Middle East, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed sanctions against Qatar for supporting the Brotherhood. Iran and Türkiye stood by Qatar in this crisis. The 2018 murder of Saudi consulate journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey was a prime example of this. Missing murders were a daily occurrence. Muslim leadership in the Middle East has been weakened by the Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict. The Middle East is being controlled by Western countries.
There is an impact on the international oil market. The Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict poses a threat to security and trade in the Persian Gulf region. Due to the conflict between the two countries and the lack of stability in the Middle East, the oil-based economy of the Middle East is constantly suffering. Various superpowers are exploiting the Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict, particularly by showing their stockpile and growth targets. The countries of the developed world have taken advantage of the Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict to loot oil at low prices.
It affects the Palestine-Israel issue in different ways. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey stand by Palestine in opposition to the recent peace agreement. Saudi Arabia says it wants a real solution to the Palestinian problem. But no effective action was ever taken. On the other hand, pro-Iranian countries did not take Saudi Arabia’s position positively. By establishing relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia and its allies believe that they can prevent the spread of Iranian influence in the Middle East. Iran, on the other hand, has gradually increased its economic, political, cultural and military influence over the past few decades by training its proxies. This strategy of Iran has been very fruitful which is now a threat to the United States. The United States accuses Iran of supplying weapons to the Palestinians, especially Hamas. Therefore, due to the Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict, the Arab countries are always divided on the Palestine issue. Muslim countries are now functioning as separate alliances rather than as the Muslim world. The rise of Islamic militancy is a result of this Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry.
One of the rapidly changing geopolitical regions is the Middle East, which has been reshaping and polarizing the region through various changes since the beginning of this century. The United States and Russia are largely responsible for the current state of affairs in the Middle East.
Since President Trump came to power in 2016, his decisions in the Middle East have been controversial. Russian President Vladimir Putin has used this opportunity a lot. He became desperate to establish Russian influence in the world.
Rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is providing an opportunity for Russia to re-establish old ties and create new ones. Russia’s intervention in Syria has brought its relations with Türkiye and Iran to a qualitatively new level. Russia has positioned itself as a valuable mediator or interlocutor to all parties in all conflicts in the region. As a result, the power alliance formed by the Sunni Arabs under the auspices of the United States and the West is regularly clashing with the power alliance formed by Shia Muslims supported by Iran and Russia.
Standing alongside Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-enemy in the Middle East, sends the message that their position is the opposite of Saudi Arabia. Russia’s position in the Middle East is getting stronger and Saudi Arabia is now looking to align with this new power. On the other hand, Russia has maintained its relations with Iran. Russia stood by Tehran in 2018 when the US withdrew from Iran’s nuclear program. In 2019, the Western world blamed Iran for the drone attacks on various oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and two oil plants in Saudi Arabia, but Russia did not agree. Moreover, Russia voted directly against the US government’s attempt to extend the arms embargo against Iran in the UN Security Council.
The biggest recent US action against Iran was the killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran’s military, the powerful Republican Guard’s Quds Force. The US thereby removed one of the symbols of Iran’s power structure. The move is an attempt to challenge Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East and Gulf region. Soleimani was Iran’s second-in-command and the architect of Iran’s hegemonic strategy in the entire Middle East and Persian Gulf region. President Trump and his allies believed the assassination would weaken Iran’s power and give Saudi Arabia leverage against the Houthis in Yemen. Trump thought that removing Iran’s regional influence strategists and sports heroes would weaken Iran and make it easier to deal with, and the imposition of other sanctions, including oil sales, would prevent Iran from maintaining its regional influence even with its weakened economy. reacted and warned that their enemies would be met with a stern reply. But Iran made a big mistake by shooting down the Ukrainian plane in January 2020. The enemy shot it down, mistaking it for a US airliner, killing 176 people on board, most of them Iranians. In this incident, anti-government protests began in Iran. which is fueled by the Western world.
Both Russia and the United States have polarized the Middle East by establishing relations with various countries to protect their interests, and instead of establishing peace, the Arab countries are divided into two and are heading towards an uncertain future. As a result, America’s favorite ally Israel is becoming more aggressive. US and Russia are applying different policies to achieve their own interests. Russia is seeking to position itself as a mediator and a dependent friend to all countries in the Middle East. On the other hand, the United States is trying to prevent the spread of Iran’s influence in the region with the cooperation of Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran is creating a new crisis in Middle East politics. Saudi Arabia’s support of the United States and Russia’s support for Iran have added a new dimension to the crisis. US and Russia’s divergent policies and allies have brought a new twist to the politics of the region. The outcome of this mutual conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran seems unlikely to be good for either of them.
