The conflict between the two countries has a long history
More than a thousand years ago, after Muhammad founded Islam, he unified the Arabian Peninsula, bringing together the Arabs (mainly Saudis) and Persians (mainly Iran) on the island.
After Muhammad's death, the descendants began to fight over who should be the boss, and there were countless rounds of struggle for power in the middle, and finally the vast majority of the congregation was dominated by powerful leaders, called Sunnis; A small number of congregations are mainly descendants of the Prophet and are called Shi'a.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are both Islamic countries in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim, and Iran is a Shiite Muslim.
The difference between Sunnis and Shiites lies mainly in the following points:
- Inheritance issues: Sunnis believe that Muhammad's inheritance should be held by his most qualified followers. Shiites, on the other hand, insist that Muhammad's relatives, Ali and his descendants, should inherit this power.
- Doctrine and Religious Law Interpretation: Sunni teachings focus on the interpretation and practice of classical Islamic law. Shiites, on the other hand, formulate doctrines based on the interpretation of the Supreme Leader (imams).
- Social and Political Views: Sunnis believe that Islam should follow democratic principles and that elected leaders should conduct political affairs. Shiites, on the other hand, delegate supreme power to imams or leaders, arguing that political power should be centralized.
- Gifts and Obligations: Sunnis believe that individuals have the opportunity to earn gifts through their actions and work, which in turn earn the respect and respect of others. Shiites believe that gifts should be granted by the imam, and that personal obligations are acquired through obedience to the imam.
In modern times, the vast majority of countries in the Middle East are Sunni, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Kuwait, Yemen and other countries, while the Shia countries are only Iran, Iraq and Bahrain.
Relations between the two countries in modern times
Saudi Arabia was founded after World War I as a product of the convergence of Arab national independence movements and Wahhabi ideas, supported to some extent by Britain. Of course, the British initially supported the Hashemite family, but the latter were driven out of the holy city by the Saud family and fled to Transjordan and Iraq to survive. However, the Saud family soon suppressed the Ikhwani monastic organization on which it was based, and continued to cling to the British thigh, so they survived. After World War II, Saudi Arabia turned to the United States.
In modern times, Iran experienced a series of major events such as the Qajar dynasty being opened by the great powers, the failure of the constitutional movement, and the country being divided by Britain and Russia, until the Pahlavi dynasty defected to the United States after World War II to basically unify the country and achieve internal stability. During this period, Iran's main enemy, in addition to the great powers, was initially Turkey, and then Arab nationalist republics such as Egypt and Iraq.
Therefore, before the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979, when the Pahlavi dynasty ruled Iran, although Saudi Arabia and Iran also had little friction on the Gulf issue, the two sides, as the main allies of the United States in the Middle East, in order to defend against the surrounding Egypt and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran were very close and had good relations. Among them, Iran is an important town of the Baghdad Treaty Organization and the Central Treaty Organization, playing the role of a thug in the United States; Saudi Arabia is the-stirring stick of the United States in Arab countries and the anchor of the Middle Eastern petrodollar.
But in 1979, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Shia clerics led by Khomeini overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty.
First of all, Iran began to export the 12-Imam theocratic ideology, which directly clashed with the Wahhabi theocratic ideology in Saudi Arabia. Historically, the northeastern part of the Gulf, centered on Bahrain, has been a Shiite cult since the 10th century, and has been ruled by Persia for a long time, and even the main oil-producing areas in eastern Saudi Arabia are inhabited by Shiites (who are politically and economically culturally oppressed in Saudi Arabia).
At the same time, the Iranian authorities began to make enemies with the United States, and as one of the most important partners of the United States in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia was called the dogleg of the United States by the Iranian authorities. And began to plan the work of overthrowing the Saudi royal family, such as encouraging Shiites in Saudi Arabia to compete with the Saudi royal family, which led to a large number of religious conflicts in Saudi Arabia. As for the religious issue, Iran even directly pointed out that the Saudi royal family is not qualified to represent Islam and should cede the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, which has led to a large number of Iranian Shiite believers making pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina, suffering from various difficulties by the Saudi authorities and often breaking out into conflicts.
In 2011, the Arab Spring political movements spread to the Islamic world, particularly the Syrian civil war, becoming the first battlefield for both sides, and both sides entered the war through proxies.
The Gulf Arab states, represented by Saudi Arabia, strongly support the Syrian opposition and the "National Alliance of Revolutionary Forces" (referred to as the "National Alliance"), and provide them with financial, advisers, weapons and equipment, logistical assistance, military training and other support.
The Saudis aim to overthrow the Shiite regime in Bashar al-Assad and uproot Iran's foothold in the Arab heartland.
Iran has supported the Assad regime militarily and economically, sending a large number of members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard into Syria to help the Syrian government forces fight.
Iran also used the Lebanese Allah Party to assist the Syrian government army in cracking down on Syrian opposition forces entrenched in southern Syria and supported by Saudi Arabia.
Finally, due to the accumulation of various grievances, in January 2016, Saudi Arabia arrested and executed Nimir, a prominent Shiite religious figure who had been trained in Iran and sneaked back to Saudi Arabia to engage in religious and political activities, causing anger in Iran, and in the same month, the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia was attacked and set on fire by mobs, who Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supporting these thugs. Diplomatic relations between the two countries officially broke down.
Since then, relations between the two countries have deteriorated, and more and more conflicts and confrontations have occurred:
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist activities and Iran aiding Qatar to protect its interests in Qatar.
In September 2019, Saudi Arabia's Saudi Aramco oil facility was attacked by a drone attack, initiated by the Houthi armed group, which Saudi accused Iran of supporting the group.
In March 2021, Saudi Arabia attacked military targets of the Houthis in northern Yemen, leading Iran to stand in solidarity with the Houthis.
In April 2021, an Iranian oil carrier caught fire after an explosion, and Iran accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attack.
Only China can mediate the grievances between the two countries
The recent handshake between the two countries in Beijing can make the United States very unhappy, and it can even be said to disrupt the overall plan of the United States in the Middle East.
First of all, why is the United States not happy?
Because it undermines the U.S. diplomatic strategy, which is division. Divide the people of other countries, divide the relationship between two countries.
Why does the United States divide others?
Because the unity of the people of a country will make the country strong, and a united country will also become a powerful force against the United States, which is the last thing the United States wants, such as China.
So as we know, the United States has managed to break up a mighty Yugoslavia into an unknown number of small countries today.
And Iran and Europe used to be business partners. But Trump's sanctions on Iran are based on false accusations that Iran is violating the U.N. nuclear treaty. The UN confirmed that Iran did not. What are the real reasons for the sanctions? It is to break the commercial relationship between Europe and Iran.
Similarly, the United States wants a conflict in the Middle East so that no country can be strong enough to "confront" the United States.
But China has a different view, and we want peace. We want to make money (technology).
Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are China's trading partners in the Middle East. Without interfering with its strategic sovereignty, China led the two countries in deciding to live in peace with their neighbors instead of provoking war like the United States.
War hindered their progress. The war impoverished them.
When they see China's rise in peace, they also want to catch the express train of China's development. For example, ASEAN has made a lot of money by using China's high-speed rail to trade with neighboring countries, so in a sense, international high-speed rail is a bridge to international peace.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have both been bullied by the United States before. They know that America is a troublemaker, a-stirring stick.
But they're not stupid, it's just that the United States is too strong. They didn't have a choice before. And now that there is a peace-loving China, they have a new option.
So the United States will give money (bribes) to "help" other countries develop (sabotage). The money will be funneled elsewhere, and some vested interests will not only never benefit the people, but also expose the country to the ravages of war.
And China helps other countries by building infrastructure for them, and the economic help it gives and its own development is visible to the naked eye. When the dam was completed, people got electricity. When the railroads that helped the circulation of goods were built, people would make money and become richer.
Secondly, the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a signal to break the hegemony of the United States in the world, and it also brings a new choice to the world situation, and the countries of the world see a new possibility in the existing pattern——— cooperation with China can both make money and get peace, which the United States will never give them. , and counter-hegemony is also the general trend of the world.
Therefore, choosing the United States or China, not only Saudi Arabia and Iran have the answer, but also provide a wise choice for all countries in the world.