Saudi Arabia is home to the two most sacred sites of Islam: the Grand Mosque of Mecca (in Medina) and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina.. It’s also the largest and most powerful country in the Middle East and it was the nation that gave rise to Islam 2️⃣ 🕌 🇸🇦 .
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is surrounded by powerful neighbors, particularly Iran. Although not directly neighbors they do share a border in the Persian Gulf.
So is Saudi Arabia in Iran? No 🇸🇦. Saudi Arabia is an independent country based within the Middle East, not part of Iran. It is neighbored by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen, and is separated from Iran by the Persian Gulf 🇮🇷.
Since 1979, when Islamic revolutionaries overthrew the Shah of Iran and founded the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two nations have had a long history of hostility and rivalry, and they have taken opposing positions on the majority of regional geopolitical issues 2️⃣ 🇮🇷 ️ 🔛.
The rivalry between the two countries has intensified in recent years, with both sides supporting rival factions in Yemen’s civil war and backing opposing sides in Syria’s civil war 2️⃣. The rivalry has even gone beyond the region with Saudi Arabia and Iran competing for influence in countries just like Lebanon and Bahrain 🇮🇷 🇧🇭 🇱🇧 🇸🇦.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have a fierce rivalry over control of the world’s oil markets 🌐 🇮🇷 ️ 🇸🇦. Iran is second and Saudi Arabia the biggest oil exporter 🇮🇷 🇸🇦. They are fighting to dominate OPEC (the cartel of oil-producing nations that determines global production and prices). Saudi Arabia traditionally has had greater influence over OPEC. However, Iran is trying to expand its reach.
While Saudi Arabia and Iran are neighbors they are not the same country and are not part of each other 🇮🇷 🇸🇦. Saudi Arabia is an independent country situated in the Middle East, and while it is bordered by Iran, it is not part of Iran. The two countries have a long history of animosity and rivalry and are engaged in a battle for control of the global oil market 2️⃣ ️. . .
🇮🇷 ️ 🕌 🇸🇦 🇧🇭 🔛 2️⃣ 🇱🇧
