The Saudi-Iranian Rapprochement and Its Reflection on the Arab Region

Abstract

The protracted geopolitical rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been one of the major shaping factors in Middle Eastern dynamics for decades. However, signs of a potential improvement in diplomatic and political relationships between the two powers have raised hopes that the regional situation could change. This study will provide a detailed analysis of the ongoing Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and its implications for the Yemeni crisis, the Syrian conflict, the Palestinian cause, economic trade, security cooperation, and diplomatic ties. In examining these critical aspects, the research will develop the current understanding of the impact of the new deal between Riyadh and Tehran on the Middle East. One of the longest-standing rivalries across the Middle East has finally taken a first albeit inadequate to address two main foreign policy tenets of both Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudi-Iranian deal acknowledges the principles of “sovereignty of states” and “non-interference in internal affairs.” Over decades, their competition had a significant footprint in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Yemen. In these states, the foreign policy struggle of Riyadh and Tehran overlapped with the powerful and complex domestic counterparts. Internally, their fight took on ethnic, tribal, religious, sectarian, political, and ideological forms.