Iran’s missiles and drones are also targeting Saudi Arabia. There have been several attacks on the American base located in Saudi Arabia. Saudi shot down several Iranian drones and also issued a strong warning to Iran. After the American attacks, Iran has targeted American bases in many Gulf countries. Iranian attacks show that now the matter is not limited to targeting only American bases.
The old rivalry between Saudi and Iran is also behind these attacks. In such a situation, the question arises that what is the real enmity between Saudi Arabia and Iran? Is this a contest of power or a Shia-Sunni dispute?
Old rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran
The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran is one of the most complex and oldest conflicts in the world. Often it is seen only through the religious prism of Shia-Sunni, but the reality is much deeper than this. This fight is not just about religion, but about establishing our dominance in the Middle East region. There are two main aspects to the enmity between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The first is religious and the second is political. Religiously, Saudi Arabia considers itself the leading country of Sunni Islam. The world’s holiest places, Mecca and Medina, are in Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, Iran is the largest Shia Muslim country in the world. After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Iran began to present itself as the defender of Shia Islam. But experts believe that this dispute is more a competition of power than religion. Both the countries want that their views should be kept at the top in the Muslim world and this oil-rich region. This is exactly the same as the competition between America and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The revolution of 1979 took the rivalry to a new level.
Before 1979, relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were not so bad. Both countries had good relations with America. But in 1979, Islamic revolution took place in Iran. The Shah there was deposed and Ayatollah Khomeini came to power. The new government of Iran opposed the monarchy. He raised the slogan that there is no place for kings in Islam. This was a big challenge for the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia began to fear that Iran might spread its revolutionary ideas in their country as well. From here the gap of distrust between the two deepened.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
fighting one’s battle on someone else’s turf
Saudi Arabia and Iran never fought each other directly. They fight their wars on the land of other countries. This is called proxy war. Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon are the biggest examples of this. Saudi Arabia is supporting the government in Yemen. At the same time, Iran is helping the Houthi rebels. This war has completely destroyed Yemen. It is the same story in Syria also. Iran supports President Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia has helped the rebel groups. Somewhere behind the violence taking place in these countries is the mutual rivalry between these two superpowers. They want such governments in these countries to follow their instructions.
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Saudi Arabia shoots down multiple Iranian drones launched towards the Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/xwr69grIl9
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) March 8, 2026
America and Israel factor is also an important reason
The role of outside countries is also very big in this enmity. Saudi Arabia has been a close ally of America for decades. America gets oil from Saudi Arabia and Saudi gets modern weapons from America. On the other hand, relations between Iran and America have been very bad since 1979. America has imposed many stringent economic sanctions on Iran. Israel is also an important part of this equation. Iran considers Israel as its staunch enemy. For this reason, the closeness between Saudi Arabia and Israel has increased in recent years, because their arch enemy is Iran.
Crude oil crosses $115
The battle of oil and economy
Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are big producers of oil. There is often a tussle between the two regarding oil prices. Saudi Arabia wants the oil market to run as per its wish. Iran wants to sell more and more oil to save its economy. Whenever international sanctions are imposed on Iran, Saudi Arabia benefits. When Iran comes back into the market, Saudi Arabia’s worries increase. This fight for economic supremacy has also been fueling this enmity.
Is peace ever possible between the two?
Some positive changes have also been seen in the recent past. In March 2023, an agreement was reached between Saudi Arabia and Iran with the mediation of China. Both countries agreed to reopen their embassies and improve relations. This was a major achievement, but will it end the hostility? It is difficult to answer this. The distrust between the two countries is so deep that it may take years to heal. Both still have different views on issues like Yemen and Syria.
In this way it can be said that the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran is not just a fight between Shia and Sunni. This is a battle to become the boss of the area. Religion is often used to instigate people’s emotions and shine their politics. Unless both countries accept each other’s existence and stop interfering in each other’s internal affairs, it is difficult to achieve complete peace in the Middle East. The recent conversation has definitely raised a ray of hope. The world hopes that these two big countries will forget their enmity and walk on the path of development and peace, but the latest development i.e. missile attack in residential areas can drive Iran away from Saudi Arabia. He will have to work with patience.
Also read: Blazing Gulf, crisis of the Great War, where is the United Nations-Security Council?