Q & A: Understanding the Saudi-Iran rivalry

Why are Saudi Arabia and Iran rivals?

The rivalry revolves around ethnicity, religion, oil and influence. Saudi Arabia is predominantly Arab and Sunni while Iran is majority Shia and Persian. The former has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. The latter

has the second largest. Both countries consider themselves to be the leader of the Muslim world. Their animosity flared in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution. Iran’s newly installed ruling Shia clergy unnerved conservative Sunni Saudi Arabia. Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomaini exacerbated matters by criticizing Saudi Arabia for its support of Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. While relations between the two countries improved slightly after Ayatollah Khomaini’s death in 1989, they soured again when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005.

What is the evidence of this rivalry?

Before allegations of an assassination plot surfaced, the most prominent evidence of Saudi Arabia and Iran’s rivalry was their efforts to influence the many protests across the Middle East, which has sparked a proxy war for regional dominance. Saudi’s King Abdullah felt so threatened by the democratic revolutions that he announced a series of measures such as raising of public-sector salaries and launching new social programs to shore up stability. While Iran has historically fed off unrest – recent conflicts in Iraq, southern Lebanon and Gaza have increased its power – the protests in Syria, its ally, hit close to home for Mr. Ahmadinejad. The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran was perhaps most keenly felt in Bahrain. When pro-democracy demonstrations erupted, Saudi Arabia sent in troops to crush them, fearing Shia protesters would overthrow Bahrain’s Sunni king.

What are the implications of this plot on this rivalry?

The immediate result with be further entrenchment on both sides of the Saudi-Iran divide. Relations have recently been somewhat strained between the United States and Saudi Arabia over the events of the Arab Spring. The historic alliance between the two countries will undoubtedly strengthen in the face of the alleged Iranian plot. Iran will become further isolated. The stage is set for a potentially dangerous confrontation.

Bahrain arrests at least four opposition leaders: Wefaq

Bahrain arrested at least four opposition leaders early Thursday morning, including Hassan Mushaima of the hardline Shi'ite Haq movement, which has called for an end to the Bahraini monarchy, members of the largest Shi'ite opposition bloc Wefaq said.

Wefaq parliamentarian Mattar Ibrahim confirmed the arrests to Reuters by telephone, adding that security forces also arrested Ibrahim Sharif, the head of a secular leftist party Waad. Bahrain's Interior Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

State Department urges Americans to avoid Bahrain

The State Department urged U.S. citizens on Tuesday to defer travel to Bahrain and suggested Americans there should leave due to ongoing political and civil unrest.
The State Department also said family members of U.S. embassy staff were authorized to leave voluntarily.
The department said in a statement that Bahrain has experienced a "breakdown in law and order," with demonstrations degenerating into violent clashes between police and protesters.
It said that while protests have not been directed toward Westerners, U.S. citizens should "avoid all demonstrations, as even peaceful ones can quickly become unruly and a foreigner could become a target of harassment or worse."
Saudi Arabia sent 1,000 Saudi troops to Bahrain at the request of Bahrain's Sunni royal family, prompting Washington on Monday to urge Riyadh to show restraint.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the island kingdom last week and pressed its rulers to implement political reforms to defuse tensions with the Shi'ite Muslim majority.