Terrorism Between Saudi Arabia And Iran - 1270 Words

On January 2nd, 2016, Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on terrorism charges, including prominent Shiite Saudi cleric Nimr al-Nimr . Protestors in predominantly Shiite Iran promptly set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran, while the Iranian foreign minister denounced Saudi Arabia’s actions. Saudi Arabia then severed all diplomatic ties with Iran, and many of their Sunni monarchist allies have done the same. Over the past week and a half, the Gulf has rapidly become a battleground, with countries being forced to choose a side in this sectarian quarrel. In order to preserve short-term peace, countries must follow America’s lead and remain neutral in this conflict. Saudi Arabia and Iran each follow a different sect of Islam, Sunni or Shia, the†¦show more content†¦But the difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran goes deeper than just religion: the majority of the Gulf’s fossil fuel is located under Shia territory . Even in Saudi Arabia, the oil reserves are located in the east, underneath a province with a majority Shiite population. Saudi Sunnis thus have reason to be afraid that Saudi Shiites might one day secede from Saudi Arabia with their oil and ally with Shiite Iran. This fear is echoed in other Gulf countries as well: Bahrain, a Sunni monarchy, is dealing with the same issue, and Saudi Arabia helped squash a Bahraini version of the Arab Spring uprising in Bahrain in 2011 This issue has grown more sensitive in recent years: â€Å"The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq overturned Saddam Hussein’s minority Sunni regime, and empowered the pro-Iranian Shiite majority. Nimr himself said in 2009 that Saudi Shiites would call fo r secession if the Saudi government didn’t improve its treatment of them† . Saudi Arabia, with its authoritarian views, had many reasons to arrest and suppress with dissenting views, like those of Nimr al-Nimr. This dispute could escalate into armed conflict. The Arab response to this dispute is one of solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Countries that have taken a pro-Saudi position include Jordan, Djibouti, Turkey, Sudan, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) . Bahrain, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia have severed all diplomatic ties with Iran, the UAE