The Relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia - Literature review Example

Events occurring in the Middle East have made it impossible for the two states to have lasting good diplomatic ties. Anyone can guess what the future holds for these two rival Middle East states.

Early relations between the KSA and Iran were so uneventful that they could easily go unnoticed. In particular, in the period before the establishment of the dynasty of al-Saud, there are none or few events that can highlight how the two states related. However, notable relations started developing in the late 1920s after the establishment of the monarchy of al-Saud.

A significant relationship between the KSA and Iran can be dated back to the period that followed the establishment of the dynasty of al-Saud in the year 1928. Amiri and Soltani (2011) explain that formal diplomatic relations between the two states started in the year 1929, immediately after the establishment of the al-Saud monarchy. According to Amiri and Soltani (2011), the period after the establishment of the dynasty of al-Saud in 1928 and before the dethronement of King Faysal in the 1958 coup de tat was characterized by a bland relationship between the two states. In the last quarter of that period, however, the British were increasingly worried about the growth of nationalism in the Gulf region. According to al-Saud (2003), Bevin made attempts to come up with a strategy through which Britain could deal with the rise of nationalism by accommodating it while at the same time maintaining the regional stranglehold of Britain in the Gulf region. Al-Saud (2003) further states that Bevin committed his country to a policy characterized by principles of non-interference, decolonization, and helping countries in the Gulf region realize socio-economic development while ensuring that Britain maintained its military presence in the region and that lines of economic exchange were maintained. Bevin’s policy was arguably counter-productive because it could be the reason that the monarchy in Iraq collapsed in the year 1958 after King Faysal was overthrown by nationalists.