How Far Will the Power Struggle Between Iran and Saudi Arabia Go?

Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have significantly increased in recent years, resulting in casualties. Consider the following cases: a) On March 14, 2013, a Saudi diplomat, while driving recklessly, collided with an Iranian citizen, leading to the latter's death. Iranian media claimed the diplomat was intoxicated, yet he left Iran without an apology. b) In April 2015, Iranian media reported that Saudi officials assaulted two Iranian teenagers, aged 14 and 15, at Jeddah airport after they had performed Umrah. This tragic incident provoked severe protests from Iran. Ayatollah Alam al-Huda, the Imam of Mashhad, stated, "This beastly act cannot be considered merely a moral corruption; it was a political move to insult Iran and Iranians... This crime occurred while pilgrims were passing through customs, and it certainly has political roots, as no government official would dare to execute a dirty plan during their mission." This incident led to the suspension of Umrah pilgrimages, and Saudi officials have yet to provide a clear response to Iran or punish the guilty parties. c) On September 20, 2015, a crane collapse at the Grand Mosque killed 118 pilgrims from various countries, including 11 Iranians. d) On October 1, 2015, hundreds of pilgrims were killed and injured in Mina. Iranian officials quoted Hamad bin Mohammed al-Dhuwaili, the Saudi Deputy Minister of Health, stating that 4,173 pilgrims from various countries had died in this disaster. The Saudi government later removed this news from its website. Al Jazeera reported the death toll to be over 1,100. So far, the deaths of 464 Iranian pilgrims in this tragedy have been confirmed. Iranian officials, six days after the event, suspect that most of the missing Iranians may have been killed, yet the Saudi government has not provided accurate information on this matter. Of the approximately two million pilgrims this year, 64,000 were Iranian, representing nearly 3% of all pilgrims, yet Iran has the highest number of casualties. Should the obligatory Hajj be suspended? The killing of hundreds of Iranian pilgrims on July 31, 1987, during protests against polytheists, led to the severing of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and a multi-year suspension of Iranian pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia. In that protest, 402 people were killed (275 Iranians, 85 Saudis, including police, and 45 pilgrims from other countries) and 649 were injured (303 Iranians, 145 Saudis, and 201 from other nations). Now, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, compares the Al Saud family to the Umayyads, stating: "If the safety of pilgrims is endangered, it affects their ability to perform Hajj. One of the conditions for the ability to perform Hajj is safety. If every year pilgrims experience such incidents, whether it be a fire one year, a crane collapse another, and if the safety of pilgrims is not ensured, it will affect their ability to perform Hajj. The conditions for ability are not solely financial; safety is also a condition, and without safety, one can question the obligation of Hajj." The Hajj ceremony is one of the constructs of the Arabs before Islam. The Prophet of Islam endorsed this ceremony and only transformed its polytheistic slogans into monotheistic ones. Making this construct obligatory for the people of the Arabian Peninsula only benefits the Al Saud family by pouring billions of dollars into their pockets. Iranians sacrifice not only their money but also their lives and dignity. Are the wealth, dignity, and lives of Muslims not more important than pre-Islamic constructs? Are these secondary constructs so important that one must die and be humiliated for them? The War for Leadership of the Islamic World The Al Saud regime calls itself the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" and the guardian and promoter of Islam. The leaders of the Islamic Republic also claim that the Supreme Leader is the "Leader of the Muslims of the World." While the Saudis promote a Wahhabi narrative of Islam, the leaders of the Islamic Republic promote a Shia narrative. Shia and Sunni are two interpretations of the Prophet Muhammad's call that have a long history behind them. If we consider solving worldly issues and problems as the duty of religion, these narratives have shown that they are not the solution to the problems of today's world. If we consider religion as a moral/spiritual/faith-based matter, political leaders—especially human rights-violating dictators—cannot assume the moral, spiritual, and faith-based leadership of believers. The false claim of leadership of the Islamic world, when made by ordinary individuals lacking power, poses no danger and reflects new Don Quixotes. However, when made by political leaders relying on oil dollars, it has very dangerous consequences for people and the entire region. Regional Power Struggle The main conflict between the two countries is the expansion of power in the Middle East through regional allies. Saudi Arabia has provided military and financial support to Islamist terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS, the Al-Nusra Front, and the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamic Republic has also supported groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad financially and militarily. It should not be forgotten that 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks were Saudi citizens, and the Bush administration declared 28 pages of the September 11 report, which allegedly pertained to the role of the Saudi government, classified and inaccessible. Senator Rand Paul called for the release of this report and Saudi Arabia's role in the incident in June. Regional countries have become battlegrounds for the proxy wars of these two countries. Syria is one such country where Iran has supported its ally, the Bashar al-Assad government, while Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries have created and mobilized Islamist terrorist groups. Recently, Joe Biden, the U.S. Vice President, explicitly stated at Harvard University that these terrorist groups were created and supported by our allies—Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. In Bahrain, the ruling oppressive minority resorted to the Saudi army to suppress the Shia majority in the country. Saudi Arabia sent troops to suppress the people of that country. In Yemen, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been bombing the people and all infrastructure of the country for over six months to bring its supported government to power. During this time, according to official UN reports, at least 2,355 civilians have been killed. Most recently, during a wedding celebration of one of the Houthis, 131 more civilians were killed due to the firing of two missiles. Saudi Arabia has placed Yemen under complete air, sea, and land blockade for six months, and UN requests for humanitarian aid and human rights organizations for fact-finding missions have gone unanswered. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have stated that Saudi Arabia has committed war crimes in this war. Saudi Arabia claims it is destroying the Iran-backed Houthis. Lebanon is another country where Iran and Saudi Arabia are battling. Although Lebanon is plagued by numerous issues, foreign interventions—including those from Saudi Arabia and Iran—have left the country without a president for months. The conflict between these two countries has altered regional alignments. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stated that it supports the resistance front against Israel, yet Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries have never been as close to Israel as they are today. Israeli officials, including the Prime Minister and security officials, have repeatedly stated that Arab governments in the region have told them in private meetings that they stand with them in a front against Iran. What can the Islamic Republic do? Iranian hardliners have called for very harsh reactions against Saudi Arabia. Extremists demanded the swift return of Hassan Rouhani from New York to Tehran. Rouhani returned to Tehran. But for what purpose and what action? The Saudi Foreign Minister refused to meet with the Iranian Foreign Minister. Saudi Arabia did not allow the Iranian delegation to travel to investigate the situation of the deceased, injured, and missing pilgrims. Ultimately, after days and hours of waiting, the Iranian Minister of Health entered Saudi Arabia via Qatar on Monday night. This means Saudi Arabia did not allow a direct flight to occur. Ayatollah Khamenei stated on September 27, 2015: "The Islamic world has many questions regarding this matter, and the rulers of Saudi Arabia should accept their responsibility for this heavy incident instead of shifting blame and apologize to the Islamic community and the grieving families. The Islamic world has many questions, and the death of over a thousand people in this incident is not a trivial matter, so the Islamic world must think about this issue. This matter will not be forgotten, and nations will seriously pursue it, and the Saudis must accept their responsibility instead of shifting blame and accusing others, and apologize to the Islamic community and the grieving families." However, Saudi Arabia not only refused to apologize but also accused Iran of a coup in Yemen and supporting the Assad regime. Ayatollah Khamenei's request was moot because dictatorial regimes that systematically violate human rights—including the Islamic Republic—do not apologize for crimes, repression, and mistakes. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has announced that it will officially complain to international organizations against Saudi Arabia for this crime. But to where? Six months of bombing Yemen and killing and injuring thousands have only been protested by human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch has stated that Saudi Arabia has committed war crimes in Yemen. Saudi Arabia, which has no elections—except for a city council election that has only been held with male participation—where all officials and ministers are from the Al Saud family, has recently been appointed to lead the Human Rights Council at the United Nations, and the U.S. State Department welcomed this appointment. Turkey, Egypt, Kuwait, and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries have officially thanked Saudi Arabia for successfully hosting this year's Hajj. Leaders of Al-Azhar have also thanked the Saudi king and condemned Iran's "political and unethical exploitation" of the deaths of hundreds of pilgrims. So where does the Islamic Republic intend to file its complaint? If relations between Iran and Western governments led by the U.S. were good, we would be in a different situation. The Iranian people bear the heavy costs of the empty slogans of the Islamic Republic's officials. Extremist forces accuse Rouhani's government of negligence in this matter but do not mention that absolute authority is in the hands of Ayatollah Khamenei. Middle Eastern issues are also under the control of the IRGC, which operates directly under the leadership. The narrative that all good outcomes are the result of the wise management of the wise leader, while all bad outcomes are the fault of others—here, Rouhani's government—no longer has a listening ear. If someone in Iran should be held accountable for the tragedy of the Iranian pilgrims, that person is Ayatollah Khamenei, who continues his unreasonable slogans while the Iranian people pay a heavy price for him.