Rivals in the Persian Gulf: Main Reasons Confrontation Between Iran and Saudi Arabia

The consequences of the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are strategically crucial for the configuration of the conflict in our country, so it is worth observing and analysing developments in the Persian Gulf, particularly by delving into their root causes. This article aims to analyse the main reasons for the confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia against the background of events in the Persian Gulf. The research methodology is based on the interdisciplinary incorporation of methods and approaches from international relations, history and political science. Elements of systemic and contextual analysis, general scientific analysis methods, synthesis and generalisation are used. It is concluded that in the second half of the twentieth century, relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which were already in an unstable state, entered a stage of sharp aggravation and took the form of direct confrontation in all areas – economic, diplomatic, political, religious, etc., and that this aggravation led to the emergence of a new phase in the relations between the two countries. The relations between the two countries have been particularly aggravated since the Shiite Islamists seized power in Iran in 1979. Iranian political Shiism has also been aimed at expanding and spreading its ideology to other countries, including those with Sunni populations. The main aspects of the tense relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia include religious differences, political and ideological contradictions, struggle for influence in the region and the Muslim world, geopolitical rivalry, economic factors, including oil issues, diplomatic incidents and assassinations of activists, conflicts through intermediaries, and support for various political forces. Saudi Arabia has also taken a number of measures against Iran: it initiated the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council, signed bilateral cooperation agreements with Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman, and moved closer to the United States, etc. In general, a dangerous and unpredictable split between countries affects not only its main participants but also geopolitics, economic stability and wars, including civil wars, in the Middle East region.