Cold War in the Islamic World: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Struggle for Supremacy

by Dilip Hiro

For decades Saudi Arabia and Iran have vied for influence, above all in the Islamic world, by sponsoring proxy religious and military forces in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. At the heart of this ongoing Cold War between Riyadh and Tehran lies the Sunni-Shia divide and the intertwined histories of those who speak Arabic and those who speak Persian. Whereas Saudis frame the rivalry with their neighbours in sectarian terms, given the Wahhabi House of Saud’s hostility to Shias, the leaders of Iran’s clerical republic contend that monarchy, as in Saudi Arabia, is ‘un-Islamic’ and therefore illegitimate.

Through adroit diplomacy, mobilising forces such as Hezbollah and deploying its Revolutionary Guards in the Syrian War, but above all because of President Bush's disastrous invasion of Iraq, Iran has expanded its influence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia’s hyperactive Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman, has responded by intervening in Yemen, isolating Qatar and destabilizing Lebanon. None of MBS’s foreign adventures has fared well, in contrast to his domestic reforms: re-opening cinemas and ending the ban on women driving. Barring his overthrow, Salman will remain in power for decades, hence the Islamic cold war is unlikely to end any time soon.

Genres: Middle East, History, Politics, Iran, Nonfiction, Historical, International Relations

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2018

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent work on the contemporary Middle East by Dilip Hiro.
This once centers on the titular conflict which can be broken down simply into two key components: 1) Who can be the most Islamic? 2) America as ass-kisser or ass-clown?
Yes, yes, that's a juvenile breakdown, but that's all you need by way of summary.
Hiro looks at the ways these two oil-oozing Gulf powerhouses approach each point, in competition with each other. You might find it weird to come out of this book thinking, "Man, those Iranians sure are a lot saner than those wacky Saudis" and you'd be right, you just didn't know that. But a few plain facts that Hiro goes into for hundreds of pages will serve to attract you to this book.
1) Saudi Arabia is a hereditary authoritarian theocracy ruled by rich dudes who buy yachts after seeing them while spending weekends renting islands and getting gold enemas. Women are treated worse than pets. Anything other than Sunni Islam is punishable by law. Nice.
Iran, on the other hand, is a pretty lively democracy with elections and more checks and balances than five American 11th grade government classes.
When the Saudi prince Bin Salman called Ayatollah Khameini "Hitler", this led Hiro to quip:
"It was ironic to find a crown prince invested with unfettered, hereditary power calling the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, chosen for an eight-year term by the popularly elected Assembly of Experts 'Hitler'."
Anyway, you can see the differences. Iran is strange, because it's both a democracy and thoroughly religious. Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive countries on the planet.
The second component America is the most hilarious bit of all this, because based on the description above and our ass-gushing fawning over liberty and democracy, guess which of these countries we align ourselves with? That's right, the oil guys. Saudi Arabia keeps the ol' oil strangehold on the States while buying our weapons and being general creeps all over the Middle East, especially to its own people. Iran doesn't like America because America has historically, and still does, treats Iran like crap when it would actually be the more effective ally.
The "cold war" here sees two religious states, one repressive and sectarian, putting forth a solidly anti-Shia policy, whereas the other religious state, is a democracy in many ways and tries to be Islamic in a more universal, anti-imperialist way. Most of the tensions are inherent in the way they view both their religion (anti-Shia versus Islamic universalism) and the United States, not even so much Israel, thus the conflict largely centers on Iran and Saudi Arabia vying for political influence. America's role is usually as a muddying source of vagueness and violence that doesn't really know what it's doing, as usual.
Anyway, a nice primer, surprisingly goes up to early '20 with much on Trump's imbecilities and COVID.
There's another great book called Treacherous Triangle that adds Israel into the mix in an interesting way, since they were secretly talking with Iran during the 90s until Netanyahu ruined it all.

[Debjit Sengupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the end of World War-II, the world heaved a sigh of relief. However, the events there after polarized the world into two halves- United States and Soviet Union blocs. These were the two superpowers who fought the cold war for forty years. They never declared war on each other but clashed in proxy war. They aligned with dictators and rebel groups. They intervened in civil wars to contain others. During the last decade of the cold war between these superpowers, two more countries were engaged in similar kind of war. This was not for world dominance but for a very complex but strategic region nevertheless. Welcome to the Middle East where failed states, insurgencies, uprisings, civil war and tangled alliances have become a norm. The wobblier region has been witnessing conflicts after conflicts from latter half of 20th century. Countless armed militias and terrorist’s groups are spreading violence across borders. Amid the complexities, there are two common actors. It needs no guessing. It’s Sunni majority Saudi Arabia and Shia majority Iran. They have never fought a war with each other but indirectly devised stratagem and supported conflicting sides in other countries and thereby triggering conflicts. This proxy warfare has a catastrophic and devastating effect on the region. The whole region has become a battlefield. Both see these civil wars as a horrifying threat and potential opportunities. In middle east, these two adversaries are at loggerhead and locked in cold war for secreterian and geopolitical influence for the last 40 years. No curative solution seems to be in place for the chronic issue. Their feud is key to understanding the conflicts in the middle east. This book examines rivalry between these two leading nations of the Gulf region and trace its root and analyse its evolution.

To understand the Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry, we require understanding of their origin. Till early 1900’s, the Ottoman Empire controlled Arabian Peninsula, which was a patchwork of many tribes. After World War-I, the Ottoman empire collapsed and the tribes started fighting among themselves. One tribe- Al Saud emerged on the top and conquered most of the peninsula. In 1932, it was recognized as kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After 6 years, massive oil reserves were discovered and in an instant, the Saudi monarch became rich. During the same time, another country- Iran emerged in the eastern side of the peninsula. Iran too had a massive oil reserve and even bigger Muslim population. In 1953, US staged a coup removing popular prime minister Mohammed Mosaddegh with monarch Rezal Shah. He was trying to reform his country but he terrorized Iranian population with his secret police- Savak. By 1970’s both Saudi Arabia and Iran had oil based economies, solidly backed by the USA. The population of Saudi Arabia had affection and respect for monarch. However Iranian population lacked the same feelings. Ultimately the population, under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah. We better know the event as Islamic Revolution. This revolution had put forth the real tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini preached against western based secular monarchy. He advocated for a popular and Islamic government and believed that dynastic rule was un-Islamic. He was critical of Gulf monarch’s policy of depleting oil resources to satisfy the ever growing demand of America. His arguments attracted many in Arabian Peninsula, irrespective of their sectarian affliction. This terrified Saudi monarch who feared that his viewpoint may instigate their own people to rise against them. Added to it, there was religious threat too. Saudis have always claimed to be leader of the Muslim world because Islam’s two holiest sites- Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia. After the Islamic revolution, Iran is staking their claim as legitimate Muslim state. As per CIA report, Iran had started exporting their revolution. Iran started helping groups mostly Shias to overthrow government in Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. This prompted Saudi Arabia to redouble their effort to fight against Iran.

Apart from Saudi Arabia, other countries in the region too felt threatened by the emergence of Iran. In 1980, Iraq ruled by Saddam Hussain invaded Iran. He feared that Iraq's Shia majority would be influenced by the revolution. He also hoped to gain power and annex some of the Iran’s oil reserve. Neither of the countries could gain an upper hand in the war. Saudis provided money and weapons to Iraq and helped them to fight Iran till 1988. Iran blamed Saudi Arabia for the prolonged war and the feud escalated. Let’s fast forward to 15 years. US invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussain. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran wanted this to happen as Iraq acted as a buffer between them. The real problem however arose when USA struggled to replace Saddam Hussain. What was the outcome? It created an anarchism and the resulted security vacuum drove Iraq into civil war. Without a proper government in place, armed militias saw an opportunity amidst the chaos and took control of Iraq. Shia and Sunni militias sprung up all across the country. Iraq became a dystopia. These militias were readymade proxies for Saudi Arabia and Iran and they provided money and weapons to Sunni and Shia groups respectively. A Shia-led government was formed, which was threatened by diabolic ISIS. Iran backed Shiite militants were instrumental in defeating ISIS. The development in Iraq was keeping both USA and Saudi Arabia worried. USA is concerned that Iran has taken advantage of gains against ISIS in Iraq to expand its influence, meanwhile Saudi Arabia is trying to forge warmer ties with the Iraqi government. However, Iran has powerful allies in Iraqi politics who could undermine those efforts.

More heavier, longer and horrendous battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran was in the offing in Syria. Sunni forms 70% of Syrian population. It is ruled by Basher-al-Asaad, who is from minority Shia sect. During the Arab Spring, an uprising grew out of discontent with Assad. Syrian security forces responded with violence and rebellions took up arms, turning it into a civil war. Assad's government existence was in serious doubt. Iran provided Syria with technical support and advised on methods to monitor crowd control and supplied it with batons and riot police helmets. Iranian military was fighting side by side with militias, some of them extremist groups like Hezbollah in support of Assad. Iran desperately wanted to keep Syrian regime in power at all cost since 2011. Saudi Arabia resorted to supplying weapons and equipment to anti-Assad groups like rebels and military defectors. The Saudi kingdom wanted Assad to be removed from power. Saudi Arabia’s attempt to curb Iranian influence has failed so far. Assad looks to stay in power.
The third country where Saudi Arabia and Iran are at opposing camp is Yemen. Yemen for years had been under Saudi’s sphere of influence. Saudi Arabia entered into full fledge war with Houthis after they had captured Yemen’s capital Sanaa. For your information, Houthi is a Shia linked militant group. You must have guessed correctly. Houthi is supported by Iran. Saudi Arabia military had launched air strikes, ground offensives and restricted access by sea. Saudis has been accusing Iran of supplying missiles to the Houthis but Iran is denying. Despite Saudi Arabia firepower, there is no clear sign of resolution. The war with Houthis has not been restricted on Yemen ground only but it has spilled over to Saudi Arabia as well. I’m recalling a news caption which was flashed on newspaper, which is not even one month old. The caption reads “Two major Saudi oil refineries were set ablaze after a drone strike that was reportedly orchestrated by Yemen Houthi rebel group”. Still the world sees no end to the crisis. The prospects look unpropitious.

Apart from aforementioned countries, there were other countries where Saudi Arabia and Iran had differences. One such country was Afghanistan. Iran supported Hizb-e-Wahdat who allied with Tajak-dominated Northern Alliance. They were pitted against the Taliban who were backed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Taliban captured capital Kabul, followed by province after province, often by bribing local warlords with funds received from Pakistani ISI and Saudi intelligence agency. They were inexorable at certain period of time. They also had a tacit support of the USA. Then Al-Qaeda chief Osama-bin-Laden entered the scene. His relationship with Taliban were becoming closer and closer. To unnerve Taliban supporters, Osama-bin-Laden was wanted by USA for various terrorist attacks. Taliban refused to be part with Osama-bin-Laden. This infuriated USA who decided to attack Taliban administered Afghanistan. This also led to Taliban downfall.

The Arab Spring in 2011 had changed the geopolitical dynamics. In stark contrast to Saudi Kingdom’s fervent opposition to the Arab spring, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini hailed it as a reprise of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, calling it the Islamic Awakening. Saudi Arabia and Iran were also involved in Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya, Lebanon and Morocco. The feud had gone a step forward, with both countries also deploying their militaries. The more civil war breaks out in the Middle East, the more Saudi Arabia and Iran are getting involved. Saudi government is threatening Qatar, whose ties with Iran has been improving. The cold war is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Middle East continues to destabilize. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been waging proxy war for regional dominance for decades. It has made the region chaotic and fomented Shia-Sunni conflict across the region.

The Wikileaks related to Saudi cables for the period 2010-15 confirms that Saudi kingdom had spent billions of dollars to implement its two-track religious agenda. One is to disseminate its brand of Sunni Islam and the second is to undermine Shia Islam and Iran. Saudi ministry had also instructed its foreign office in Africa to send reports about Iran’s activities in the continent. There have been reports from Uganda and Mali about Iran and Shia’s expansion.

In 2003, Iran revealed that it has unearthed uranium deposits and were going to develop nuclear fuel cycle. This set alarm bells ringing in Saudi Arabia. This also worried US too. There is also a prospect of Iran managing to fabricate an atom bomb, which the Saudi’s royal dreaded the most. Saudi Arabia is contemplating a very perilous situation. They also have been urging US to get tough with Iran and prevent it from becoming a nuclear state. Israel is another country which is an interested spectator to the long-running contentious issue of Iran’s nuclear program. Saudi Arabia is building up a credible case to show that if Iran had acquired its own nuclear weapon then Saudi Arabia would follow suit with the active assistance of its traditional ally, Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is realizing that Iran is more dangerous to them than Israel. So they have no option but to align with Israel in counteracting their common foe Iran. They now find themselves into a very predicament position.

The long running cold war between Saudi Arabia and Iran has replicated the pattern of US-Soviet Cold war. The current level of hostility between the two Islamic heavyweights is unlikely to be moderated in the near future. The caveats suggest that after few years, we may still hear about the conflict, may be in new geographic area. The revolution, wealth, diplomacy, insurgencies, weapons, brilliance, sports, beauty, architecture, food and polarization defines Middle East. It’s the most eventful and intriguing region on the planet. It’s however going through ominous times, with least chance of détente. No wonder, I keep picking up something or the other to read, on the region after periodic interval. We might be aware of the various events taking place in Middle East for the last few decades but how many of us had noticed similarity between each events. I have had come across various articles on the cold war but it was restricted to proxy wars in Iraq, Syria and Libya. The book has gone beyond that and how Western world is getting entangled due to alliance and for strategic reason. Their decision too has been impetuous. The book gives a crystal clear view of the prevalent tumultuous situation in the Middle East. It has been deftly and brilliantly summarized. The author has been scrupulous with his narration. This review is just touch and go. Read the book to gather the detail. I’m surprised that response to this outstanding book has been so feeble.

[Chris S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets off to a promising and interesting start - the book's momentum drops drastically as it enters the 21st century; it becomes a recounting of facts and events rather than the kind of overarching analysis I was looking for, though I suppose that's rather difficult with events so recent and yet incompletely understood.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the news from the Middle East that you wished you had read...over the last century and none of the cruft that you realize after the fact proved redundant, irrelevant or false. One book can't make you a Middle East expert. But, this one gives you context and the ability to distinguish bias and motivation behind most reporting on the Middle East.

[Mohsin Shabbir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4/5 Star Book By Dilip Hiro.....
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How well it explains that using religion as a base, Countries are fighting for dominance over others....
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Wahabbism is the Core ideology of The House Of Saud and the only pillar that justifies their dynastic rule over their country......So any threat to Wahabbism is a direct threat to House Of Saud and vice versa......Whereas in Twelver-Shia Islam, the people should be given right to select their representatives or Leaders.......And when that belief was seen in the scope of Saudi Arabia, It felt threatened.......
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Book is also successful in the explanation of that In Iran-Saudia Struggle of Dominance, there is a Cold War. Countries like Syria,Egypt,Yemen,Lebanon, Iraq,Afghanistan,Qatar,Kuwait,Oman & Pakistan are just victims of their War.
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The best thing that I have learned in this book is...
"That wars that happen, their cause can't be just defined on the bases of religious or ideological conflicts but there is a deep background of Politics & Hunger for Power that leads to War".

[Manoj Solanki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read. A deep study of how we ended here.

[Abdullah Mushtaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

An account of the rivalry between the two Middle Eastern countries: Iran and Saudi Arabia, and its geopolitical implications on the fragile region. The author did a pretty decent job summarizing the major historical and political shifts, keeping it clean from unnecessary prolongation. Since the book was published in 2018, it doesn't account for the drastic changes that have occurred in the past seven years, such as the ousting of Assad by HTS and SNA, and the Israeli war in Gaza and Lebanon.

The author is biased towards Iran and quite critical of the Saudis, which is not hard to identify in various parts of the book. The way certain events are presented seems to buttress the assumptive dichotomy of "Wahhabis bad, Shias good," implying a one-sided animosity of Wahhabis towards Shias and that only Saudis are hell-bent on propagating sectarianism around the Muslim world. Contrasting the author's accounts of the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars, a cursory glance is given to the Syrian civil war, focusing mostly on the early stage of the revolution and then transitioning directly to the ISIS era. The author, while describing Assad's victory in the sham 2014 Syrian presidential election, wrote:

"These elections in Syria pave the way for a new stage of stability and national agreement in this country after more than three years of war imposed by foreign parties."

The author didn't provide many accounts of the destruction caused by Assad and Russian bombing or the havoc wreaked by Iranian proxies. Moreover, the total civilian casualties suffered due to the Axis’s airstrikes are also missing. In fact, the author quoted directly from the Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, stating that 18,800 sorties were carried out, leading to the liquidation of 35,000 "fighters."

Comparing this with his description of the Yemeni civil war, the author dedicated several subchapters exclusively to the mounting attacks by the GCC coalition, including lengthy accounts—sometimes from the mouth of Houthis—of devastation. The author paid proper attention to the casualties and humanitarian crisis stemming from the Yemeni civil war.

Moreover, there were some factual discrepancies as well, such as when the author conflates Ahmad Brelvi (1786-1831) as the "Founder of the Brelvi movement," probably due to the similarity in their names.

Leaving the above discussion aside, I will present a cursory overview of what was mentioned in the book (the following is what is mentioned by the author):

Black Gold Shapes Iran and Saudi Arabia
After oil was discovered, the British showed interest in the Persian oilfields while Americans focused on Saudis. Ibn Saud met with FDR to discuss cooperation between the two countries (he even declared war on Nazi Germany after hearing of their atrocities). In 1950, the first USAF mission was posted at the Dhahran base. After the nationalist government in Iran tried to nationalize the oil, the CIA and MI6 ousted him and replaced him with the Shah. Meanwhile, Faisal was involved in a royal feud with King Saud, in which the former prevailed. King Faisal adopted "Islamization" to counter rival Gamal Abdel Nasser's influence in the Arab world. The Shah of Iran consolidated his position and supported Daoud Khan's coup in Afghanistan that deposed King Zahir. Later, Daoud Khan would himself be ousted by the Marxist Amin-Taraki alliance.

Iranian Revolution
The growing dissent among the population led to a popular revolution in Iran in 1979. Saudi Arabia at first didn’t realize the significance of such an event. The new government in Iran presented a direct threat to the monarchs in the Middle East, with Khomeini constantly pinning down the Gulf monarchs and the USA.

(1) Afghanistan
During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, the USA, and Pakistan backed the Sunni Mujahideen (Ittihad-e-Islami, etc.) while Iran backed the Hazara and Tajik Mujahideen. As a result of the Afghan civil war, the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, emerged victorious. Iran backed the Northern Alliance. The USA and Iran forged the new Afghan government after ousting the Taliban in the post-9/11 war. Iran clandestinely aided the US in its invasion.

(2) Iraq
Since the inception of the Iranian revolution, Iran and Iraq's relations were estranged. Khomeini urged Iraqi Shias several times to overthrow Saddam but in vain. The eight-year-long Iran-Iraq war ended in a sort of stalemate, with Iraq emerging as the strongest military in the Middle East, while Khomeini successfully consolidated his revolution due to it. During Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, Iraq offered Iran a deal to recognize Iran's pre-war territory. Iran responded positively. Saudi Arabia backed Kuwait in that war. When Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, Iran adopted a double strategy. While publicly condemning the American invasion, Iran ordered its proxy SCIRI to participate in Washington's pre-invasion destabilization plans. Saudi Arabia, though denying publicly, hosted CENTCOM during the war. King Abdullah later said: "We (the US and Saudi Arabia) spilled blood together" in Kuwait and Iraq. Sunni Jihadis started the resistance against the coalition. Ayatollah Sistani forbade Shias from participating in armed struggle, but the Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr launched an armed uprising against the Americans. After the war, Iran gained further influence in Iraq and consolidated its proxies.

(3) Syria
During the Arab Spring, several schoolboys were tortured by the police in the Syrian town of Deraa, leading to nationwide protests and eventually a civil war. Iran, along with its proxies in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon, joined Assad. Russia also supported him. On the other hand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar decided to fund the rebel factions. Assad gained the upper hand in the middle of the conflict due to Iranian and Russian backing. (Although as of now in 2025, the situation is drastically different; Assad is ousted, Joulani has taken over, and the Iranian land supply line has been cut off.)

(4) Egypt
During the Arab Spring, Hosni Mubarak was deposed, which didn’t sit well with Saudi Arabia and UAE. The successor, Morsi, belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, had cordial ties with Iran and Turkey. Saudi Arabia and UAE launched a counter-revolution in which Sisi deposed and eventually executed Morsi.

(5) Yemen
During the Arab Spring, Yemeni president Saleh was forced to step down. With an agreement with the GCC, Saleh was succeeded by Hadi in an election with only one candidate. Houthis rejected this and marched on to Sanaa, backed by Iran. Hadi fled to Aden. Saleh mended ties with old foes, the Houthis. The Houthi-Saleh coalition marched on to Aden, forcing Hadi into exile in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, along with the GCC, launched a military campaign in Yemen, capturing Aden and reinstating Hadi. A UAE-Saudi rift on the status of Hadi emerged but was later resolved. Later, Saleh fell out with the Houthis and was assassinated. MBS failed to rout out the Houthis from the capital, Sanaa.

(6) Lebanon
In the 2009 general election in Lebanon, Saad Hariri, leading the '14 March Alliance' and backed by Saudi Arabia, won over the '8 March Alliance,' led by Hezbollah (which included the Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun). The fragile government of Hariri fell after 8 March Alliance ministers resigned over disagreements. Saudis offered tacit approval of Aoun as president if he agreed to ask Hariri to form the next government. Once Nasrallah agreed to the Saudi offer, Aoun was selected as president. In November 2017, MBS, frustrated, called Hariri to Riyadh and pressed him to resign over his inability to contain Hezbollah from getting involved in the Syrian civil war, which he eventually did, leading to backlash in Western arenas for destabilizing Lebanon. Hariri later put his resignation on hold after meeting with Aoun.

[Zohaib · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Dilip Hiro to be a bit anti-Saud but Overall he tried to be remain neutral while remaining critical of dual face politics of Saud family, their racial hatred and raising sectarian tensions. According to his belief, Iranians are supporting Hamas militants in Palestinian which is a Sunni militant group, In short He believes that Iran is less conservative compared to Saudi and they are open to all classes and sects of muslims. While, He mentioned alot about Saudi suppression of Ethnic Shias. He also condemned a bit of Iran. He also point out towards Iranian's good treatment of non muslim minorities Jews and Christians which was latter condemned by Islamic State. Overall, a nice book.

[Sameer Thakur · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a factual narrative with lessor analysis than I expected. However, the detailing is very accurate and minute.

[Baher Soliman · Rating 4 out of 5]

هذا الكتاب من الكتب الشيّقة التي تتناول الصراع البارد بين المملكة العربية السعودية وإيران، فهم جذور هذا الصراع بدوره من شأنه أن يضع يدنا على المواقف والسياسات السعودية في المنطقة فيما يخص إيران وبالتبعية المقاومة الفلسطينية وكذلك أهداف وأطماع إيران في المنطقة. في كتاب "الحرب الباردة في العالم الإسلامي: السعودية وإيران والصراع على السيادة" للمؤلف ديليب هيرو الصادر عام ٢٠١٨ عن دار نشر جامعة أكسفورد، يناقش بالتفصيل الصراع الدائر بين السعودية وإيران، وهما من أكثر القوى تأثيرًا في منطقة الخليج، من خلال عدسة سياسية، أيديولوجية وطائفية.

هذا الصراع متجذّر في الهياكل السياسية المختلفة بين البلدين، والتفسيرات الدينية المتباينة (الوهابية السنية في السعودية مقابل الإسلام الشيعي الإمامي في إيران)، وسعي كل منهما للسيطرة الإقليمية، خصوصًا بعد الثورة الإسلامية الإيرانية عام 1979.

ما جذبني حقيقة للكتاب هو ربط السرد التاريخي بالتحليل السياسي لفهم جذور هذا الصراع، بمعنى ما "ديليب هيرو" يضع كل حدث في كتابه في سياقه الإقليمي والدولي بشكل متميّز، وذلك من خلال تتبّع الأحداث الرئيس�� في المنطقة، مثل الثورة الإيرانية، الحرب العراقية-الإيرانية، والربيع العربي، فيوضح هيرو كيف أنّ كل حدث من هذه الأحداث كان له تأثير مباشر على الديناميات الإقليمية، وما ترتب عليه من تغييرات في التحالفات والتوازنات السياسية في الشرق الأوسط.

على سبيل المثال، عند مناقشة الحرب العراقية-الإيرانية، يبرز هيرو كيف استخدمت كل من السعودية وإيران هذه الحرب كوسيلة لتعزيز نفوذهما الإقليمي وتحقيق أهدافهما الاستراتيجية، ليس فقط على مستوى الخليج العربي، ولكن على مستوى العالم الإسلامي بأسره. وكذلك، يناقش هيرو التحولات التي نتجت عن الربيع العربي وكيف استغلَّت كلّ من السعودية وإيران هذه الفوضى لتحقيق مكاسب في بلدان مثل سوريا واليمن.

وعند مناقشة هيرو لغزو صدام حسين للكويت عام 1990 يضعه في سياقه الإقليمي والدولي بشكل مفصّل. يرى هيرو أنّ هذا الغزو كان نقطة تحول كبرى في السياسة الإقليمية، حيث هدد ميزان القوى في الخليج بشكل مباشر وأثار ردود فعل عالمية سريعة، خاصة من الولايات المتحدة والمجتمع الدولي.

يشير هيرو إلى أنّ غزو الكويت كان له تداعيات كبيرة على الصراع السعودي الإيراني. أولاً، أدركت السعودية أن غزو الكويت يمثل تهديدًا مباشرًا لأمنها، خاصة وأن صدام حسين كان يسيطر على نحو 20% من احتياطيات النفط العالمية بعد ضم الكويت، وهو ما جعل السعودية تستشعر الخطر من توسع نفوذ العراق في المنطقة.

ثانيًا، يلقي هيرو الضوء على كيف استطاعت السعودية توظيف هذه الأزمة لتعزيز علاقتها بالولايات المتحدة والدول الغربية. بعد أن أقنع الملك فهد الإدارة الأمريكية بأنّ صدام يعتزم غزو السعودية أيضًا، دعت المملكة القوات الأمريكية للتواجد على أراضيها، مما أدى إلى تشكيل تحالف دولي بقيادة الولايات المتحدة لتحرير الكويت. هذا الوجود العسكري الأمريكي في السعودية أصبح فيما بعد نقطة خلاف كبيرة بين السعودية وإيران، حيث رأت إيران أنّ وجود قوات غير مسلمة في "أرض الحرمين" هو انتهاك لسيادة المنطقة الإسلامية.

ومن الجانب الإيراني، يوضح هيرو أنّ الغزو العراقي للكويت كان فرصة لإيران لتعزيز نفوذها بعد أن أضعفت الحرب العراقية الإيرانية من قوتها الإقليمية. ورغم أنها اتخذت موقفًا معاديًا للغزو العراقي، إلا أنها استغلت الوضع لتعزيز دورها الإقليمي وتقديم نفسها كقوة معارضة لتوسع النفوذ الأمريكي في الخليج.

يناقش الكتاب تأثير أحداث الربيع العربي في عام 2011 على الصراع السعودي الإيراني، حيث دعّمت إيران الحركات الثورية في بعض الدول العربية مثل البحرين واليمن، بينما دعمت السعودية الأنظمة المحافظة والجيش المصري في الإطاحة بحكم الإخوان المسلمين في مصر. ويشير هيرو إلى أنّ الصراع في سوريا أصبح ساحة حرب بالوكالة بين السعودية وإيران، حيث دعمت السعودية جماعات المعارضة، بينما دعمت إيران نظام بشار الأسد كما هو معروف.

أحد الفصول المهمة في الكتاب يتناول البرنامج النووي الإيراني، حيث رأت السعودية في هذا البرنامج تهديدًا مباشرًا لأمنها الإقليمي. ووفقًا لهيرو، فإنّ الاتفاق النووي بين إيران والدول الكبرى في عام 2015 زاد من توتر العلاقات بين الرياض وطهران، حيث خشيت السعودية من أن يعزز هذا الاتفاق نفوذ إيران في المنطقة، كما يركز هيرو على الحرب الأهلية في اليمن، التي تعتبر أحد أبرز ميادين الصراع المباشر بين السعودية وإيران، حيث دعمت السعودية الحكومة اليمنية في مواجهة الحوثيين الذين يتلقون دعمًا من إيران. وبالمثل، أصبح الصراع في سوريا معقدًا بشكل كبير، حيث تداخلت مصالح القوى الإقليمية والدولية، وجعلت من سوريا ساحة حرب بالوكالة.

في خاتمة الكتاب، يشير هيرو إلى أنّ الصراع بين القوتين الإقليميتين ليس مجرد صراع مؤقت، بل هو صراع طويل الأمد متجذر في الخلافات الأيديولوجية والسياسية بين النظامين. ويتوقع أن يستمر هذا الصراع طالما ظلت تلك الخلافات قائمة.

هيرو يوضح أن العوامل التي تغذي هذا الصراع – مثل الانقسام الطائفي بين السنة والشيعة، التنافس على القيادة الإقليمية، والنفوذ الدولي – ستظل تلعب دورًا رئيسًا في تأجيج التوترات. كما يشير إلى أنّ التغيرات الداخلية في كلا البلدين، مثل الإصلاحات التي يقوم بها محمد بن سلمان في السعودية أو التوترات داخل النظام الإيراني، قد تؤثر على ديناميكيات الصراع.

أما من حيث التدخلات الخارجية، فإن هيرو يرى أنّ القوى الكبرى مثل الولايات المتحدة وروسيا ستواصل استغلال هذا الصراع لتحقيق مصالحها في المنطقة. كما يحذر من أنّ الصراع قد يتوسّع ليشمل مناطق أخرى من العالم الإسلامي، مثل العراق وسوريا واليمن، حيث تواصل كل من الرياض وطهران دعم الأطراف المتنازعة في تلك الدول. ( كُتب هذا الكتاب في ٢٠١٨ قبل انتفاضة الأقصى حيث انتقل الصراع إلى مناطق فلسطين وبيروت بل وأصبحت مناطق إيرانية مهددة بالقصف من قبل إسرائيل، مما جعل إيران ترسل رسائل تهديد للسعودية تحذّرها من السماح لإسرائيل باستخدام أراضيها لضرب إيران) .

بالتالي، هيرو لا يتوقع نهاية قريبة لهذا الصراع، بل يرى أنه سيستمر ويأخذ أشكالاً مختلفة مع تغير الظروف الإقليمية والدولية، لكنه يشير أيضًا إلى أنّ أي تقارب محتمل بين السعودية وإيران سيعتمد على تغيرات كبيرة في الأوضاع الداخلية والخارجية لكلتا الدولتين.

الكتاب جميل ومفيد في ربط الشق التاريخي بالسياسي التحليلي، لكن هيرو أحيانًا يميل إلى التركيز بشكل أكبر على إخفاقات السعودية في إدارة الصراع أو على السياسات الداخلية للمملكة بشكل نقدي، بينما قد يتغاضى عن بعض العيوب أو المشاكل في النظام الإيراني. هذا قد يُظهر نوعًا من التحيز الضمني الذي قد يؤثر على القارئ في تشكيل رؤية غير متوازنة حول طبيعة الصراع.

ورغم أنّ البعد الطائفي بين السنة والشيعة أساس لفهم هذا الصراع، وقد قام هيرو بالتركيز عليه، إلا أنه أفرط في ذلك بما قد يُهمّش الأبعاد الجيوسياسية والاقتصادية الأخرى التي تلعب دورًا كبيرًا في الصراع، مثل التنافس على الموارد النفطية والنفوذ في العالم العربي.

ومع ذلك يبقى الكتاب مرجعًا مهمًا لأي شخص مهتم بفهم طبيعة الصراع بين السعودية وإيران، ويقع في (٤٣٧) صفحة في نسخته الإنجليزية.

[Jaylani Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

He does a good job on how the Muslim World is having its own problem with the two leading nations as polar players because of their sectarian differences. Too bad, not all Muslim nations were not mention as their role in the Islamic Cold War. Not only that, but also, he didn't mention the cold war between Monarch Arabs (lead by Saudi Arabia) and Republic Arabs (lead by Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt).

[Uzair Qadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unmatched erudition. The writer is my hero.

[Yazeed Al Nemer]

not as inclusive as one would want but it's very informative considering its only 400 pages. great introductory read though

[Neil Tredray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tons of typos; the epilogue especially was almost like it hadn’t been edited before being sent to the printer. It’s tough to know how seriously to take a book if it’s not even typeset correctly.

[Sudhagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding, a magnum opus ! What a truly remarkable book and a joy to read !

The author has done a brilliant job of dissecting the complex and multi-faceted rivalry between the two major powers in the Islamic world - Saudi Arabia and Iran. The subject is not an easy topic to address as the story spans centuries and rooted in the larger Sunni-Shia divide. Further complication is that there are many countries and various issues are inter-linked. The internal history and politics within Saudi Arabia and Iran are also key to understand the rivalry. However, Dilip does a wonderful job of providing a through but highly readable account of this fascinating history that is critical to under the present. Dilip takes a nuanced and sympathetic approach in understanding the issue rather than based on the usual Western media's narrative ridden POV. It is hard to provide an accurate and comprehensive coverage of history while remaining readable but Dilip pulls this off admirably. This is one of those rare books that I came out reading wiser and more informed about the way I see the world.

[Smam Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hiro accounts an incisive outlook into the intricately primitive order of the world, particularly that in the Middle-East, between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Narrating the history of the two states, and the oil they found themselves seated upon, Hiro pens how this petro-revolution brought about far-ranging consequences: from the alliances with the US, to the rollback of secularism in the Islamic Republic of Iran. These events in turn bring into play how the actions of the two states diverged, and how they both seek to apply their weight in the Islamic World.

A fascinating read, it was one that was expectedly bland and exacting to trudge through. This too, is perhaps owing to my unfamiliarity with texts on historical accounts, and the monotony that they entail.

[Zeeshan Paracha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book explains how mutual rivalry between the two Sunni-Shia powerhouses of the Muslim world i-e KSA and Iran have competed against each other for regional dominance through aggressive diplomacy as well as proxy warfare in the entire Middle East and North Africa. How US has fanned the KSA-Iran rift by backing 🇸🇦 to curtail 🇮🇷 influence in the region and paradoxically, how US invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam led Sunni govt in Iraq and as a result - inadvertently - extended 🇮🇷 sphere of influence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The book also throws light on internal power struggle and manipulations by in the House of Saud to bring to the fore MBS whose aggressive and couter-productive foreign policy in Yemen, Syria and Iraq has wrecked havoc in these countries.

[ARHAM MOIN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to have some understanding of the recent history of the middle east, and what actions have shaped the current middle eastern bloc.

The book goes into immense details of the pragmatic actions states are involved in, despite their ideological fronts and introduces a host of nuance into understanding the current situation there. The book has some bias against what he sees Islam to be, considering it to be one of the problems that fuels all the chaos of the Middle East.

But his analysis is good, albiet with an understanding that many of his views, are his views and not necessarily hard coded facts. An amazing book for someone to go through the modern history of the middle east and how it was formed.

[Tiago Martins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author starts in one of the most interesting ways I ve ever read a book. It promises a lot in the beggining. Nevertheless, the deep analysis of the differences, relation and conflicts between Iran and Saudi Arabia begins to be a chaotic counting of facts involving the two nations.

I thought i would give 4 stars, but the second half of the book made me rate it in 3 stars. But still, i recommend the book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a history of both Iran and Saudi Arabia and the relationship between the two countries. The author provides some really interesting information on the early history of Saudi Arabia. The earlier history of the two countries' involvement in the war in Afghanistan is quite interesting. As the book gets more in to the contemporary period, I think the author becomes too sympathetic to the Iranian government, but the book still provides some valuable insights.

[Win · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book if it described the fact objectively. The author seems to have problem with it. For example, the word "claim" is used when one side gave their explanation of a story. But the explanation from the opposing side is accepted as is. Not to mention how he treated explanations from BBC, New York Times and other MSMs like a fact.

[Kamran Qureshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

unbiased, well research, pager turner, well engaging and so on.......
very impressed by dilip hiro❤️💕

[Syeda Amna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent intro + summary of the Saudi-Iran proxy wars. There isn't much in the way of commentary or analysis but I would highly recommend this to beginners.

[Justin Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt the author when writing on modern events is obviously pro-Iran. For example, portraying Iran as a democracy (used to criticise monarch states and defend Iran) when in fact all Iranian candidates must be approved by the theological Guardian Council that prevents reformist candidates appearing on the ballot. The Guardian Council (appointed by the supreme leader and not elected) can also reject laws created by parliament. The book is deferential to the US Democrat administrations while being pessimistic on Republicans. For example, critical on Bush administration engagement with Saudis and vitriolic on Trump while the disgraceful 2016 secret pallets of cash ($1.7 billion in untraceable non-US currency) to Iran from Obama does not attract criticism. The author uses a justification (multilateralism) for the ineptitude of the Obama administration that allowed the growth of ISIS causing millions to fall under cruel ISIS rule and empowering terrorist acts in Europe. The author says Clinton tried to get Bin Laden from Afghanistan in 1998 but omits that Clinton missed taking Bin Laden from Sudan in 1996 (Mansoor Ijaz in LA Times). I think the book lacks objectivity not applying the same standards or attention to both Iran and Saudi Arabia or Democrat and Republican administrations. I thought the second half has tedious parts that read like a logbook of dates, names and places as it has insufficient narration.

[QURATULAIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye opener.

[Izak Miklavčič · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently reread this book, really great overall - fundamentally important to understand the Middle East alliances today and in the future.