Whereas once the kingdom could assemble a somewhat ramshackle coalition to counter Iranian expansionism — and on occasion to fight its militias and proxies where they threatened to do damage — now, it stands largely alone. In Syria, Iranian proxies and Russia assist an Assad regime whose survival is now assured. Regular Israeli air strikes have not stopped those proxies embedding themselves within regime territory. The Saudis appreciate Israel's attempts to sabotage Iranian nuclear ambitions, but do not believe these efforts can entirely halt Iran's converging paths to a nuclear weapon, nor rein in its takeover of neighboring countries.
Despite the Trump administration's inelegant attempts to have Israel and the Arab states play nice in order to join forces to counterbalance Iran, co-operation to that end is still limited.
Benjamin Netanyahu has not proven the tough-guy container of Iran he portrays himself to be. But if Netanyahu is replaced as prime minister, the Saudis believe, even his bellicose rhetorical opposition to Iran may be lost. The Houthis are on the advance.
They hold much of Yemen and are in the process of mounting a bloody, and effective, offensive on Marib. The bombing campaign with which the Saudis tried to stop them has become an internationally reviled tactic of dubious effectiveness. Yemen's internationally-recognized government is in disarray. No one is in a position to stop the Houthis' onward march.
Houthi leaders have also claimed a number of attacks by ballistic missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia proper. International investigations believe the missiles and the drones to be Iranian, rather than Houthi, projects. Whoever is mounting them, these attacks have struck the Saudi capital, Riyadh, many times, and have done great damage to the confidence and security of the Saudi oil economy.
Operations that took in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon in the region alone. Stood there at this makeshift memorial it was obvious that what had taken place on that spot was part of a wider game that had at its heart a rivalry being played out between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In , the shah of Iran was toppled by his own people and the leader fled. In his place arrived Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and with him a new sense of purpose: To establish Iran as a regional power through Shia Islam.
That sent shockwaves through the Sunni Muslim world and, in particular, Saudi Arabia, which had traditionally seen itself as the leader of the Muslim world. At the core of that belief is the fact that the kingdom is the guardian of the two holiest places in Islam — Mecca and Medina.
But its importance to the region predates Islam. Before the birth of Islam, Mecca was a trading post and home to religious sites that were said to bestow good fortune on those who visited them. It was, as a result, a prosperous city. After the birth of Islam and subsequent split among the followers of the Prophet Mohammed into Shia and Sunni, the city of Mecca continued to thrive. Andrew Leber is a researcher at Harvard University with a focus on Saudi policymaking. A night of long knives and missiles Lebanon in the crosshairs Who are Hezbollah?
Image source, EPA. The power behind the throne Crown prince's ruthless streak. Who are their regional allies? Iran and Saudi Arabia: Their friends and foes. How is the Saudi-Iranian rivalry being played out? Image source, Reuters. Yemen is one of a number of battlegrounds fuelling Iranian-Saudi tensions.
Are we heading towards a direct war between Saudi Arabia and Iran? Related Topics. Published 10 November Published 9 November Published 6 November Published 6 October Published 15 March Published 4 October Published 5 August. Here are five sources of new collisions between the two:. An added bonus for the Saudis has been America's estrangement from Iran since the revolution there that toppled the U. The power balance shifted in , however, when President Obama reached a historic agreement with Iran that limits Iran's ability to acquire nuclear weapons.
In return for Iran's compliance with the terms of the deal, the U. The Saudis fear Iran will use the tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets and new business opportunities to support Shiite rebel groups in the region to destabilize Sunni-led governments, as well as use the new revenue to buy weapons in support of its expansionary goals.
The Saudis also fear Iran will cheat on the nuclear deal, fueling a Mideast nuclear arms race. Saudi Arabia's poverty-stricken southern neighbor at the foot the Arabian Peninsula has become the closest example of a proxy war between the Saudis and Iran. The Saudi Kingdom is leading a local military coalition aimed at defeating Shiite-dominated Houthi rebels who are threatening to unseat the government.
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