ABSTRACT
Iran and Saudi Arabia appear fated to be rivals. Their controlled competition in the 1970s, organised around common threats, gave way to intense rivalry after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. America’s conduct in the Middle East after 1979, including its containment of Iran and security support to Saudi Arabia, has been pivotal to both nations’ strategic calculations – and hence to their bilateral relationship. In sum, prior to the Arab Spring, Tehran and Riyadh were competing on many fronts: over influence and presence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world; via rhetorical rivalry for moral leadership in the Muslim world; and in the acquisition and production of weapons. US troops on Saudi soil provided some security but also proved a liability – a rallying cry for jihadists returned from Afghanistan. US–Iranian relations started with an occupation, but also an American contribution to Iran’s liberation. The Trump administration’s bilateral and regional policies are heightening Iran–Saudi rifts.
