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104-551: During the Yemeni Civil War in 2015, the province became a battleground. The battle, known as the Shabwah Campaign , ended on August 15, 2015, after forces loyal to the government of Abd Rabbah Mansour Hadi defeated Houthi rebels. Shabwah Governorate comprises the following 17 districts. These districts in are divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages: This article about

208-597: A National Dialogue Conference , but withheld support from a final accord in early 2014 that extended Hadi's mandate in office for another year. Conflict between the Houthis and Sunni tribes in northern Yemen spread to other governorates, including the Sanaa Governorate by mid-2014. After several weeks of street protests against the Hadi administration, which made cuts to fuel subsidies that were unpopular with

312-605: A proposal to split the country into six federal regions , Houthi fighters seized the presidential compound in Sanaa . The power play prompted the resignation of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and his ministers. The Houthi political leadership then announced the dissolution of parliament and the formation of a Revolutionary Committee to govern the country on 6 February 2015. On 21 February, one month after Houthi militants confined Hadi to his residence in Sanaʽa, he slipped out of

416-747: A bank in Ahvaz. ASMLA enjoys the financial support of, among other states, Saudi Arabia and positions itself specifically within the context of the Saudi-Iranian proxy conflict by emphasising its sectarian nature to gain sponsors from the Arab World. Saudi Arabia's involvement in its sponsoration is confirmed by the Danish authorities. Its leaders left Iran in 2006, reorganised in the European Union and continued carrying out terrorist attacks against

520-480: A ceasefire brokered by the United Nations. The conflict has been compared to World War I in terms of the tactics used, including large-scale trench warfare with barbed wire stretched across fortified defensive lines, manned machine gun posts, bayonet charges, Iranian human wave attacks, extensive use of chemical weapons by Iraq, and, later, deliberate attacks on civilian targets. A special feature of

624-556: A clash with Shia militants. Dozens of Shia civilians were reportedly killed. Residents are not allowed to enter or leave, and military indiscriminately shells the neighborhoods with artillery fire and snipers are reportedly shooting residents. In June, the Iranian state-owned news agency Press TV reported that the president of a Quran council and two cousins of executed Nimr al-Nimr were killed by Saudi security forces in Qatif . During

728-464: A departure from President Obama's more reconciliatory approach. This move came days after the re-election of Rouhani in Iran, who defeated conservative candidate Ebrahim Raisi . Rouhani's victory was seen as a popular mandate for liberal reforms in the country. Several incidents in mid-2017 further heightened tensions. In May 2017, Saudi forces laid siege on Al-Awamiyah , the home of Nimr al-Nimr, in

832-593: A direct military confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. On 4 November the Royal Saudi Air Defense intercepted a ballistic missile over Riyadh International Airport . Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir asserted that the missile was supplied by Iran and launched by Hezbollah militants from territory held by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman called it "direct military aggression by

936-1174: A location in Yemen is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Yemeni Civil War (2015%E2%80%93present) This is an accepted version of this page Ongoing, ceasefire since 2 April 2022 with some periodic clashes [REDACTED] Supreme Political Council (formerly SRC ) [REDACTED]   Republic of Yemen (internationally-recognized; led by the PLC since 2022) [REDACTED] STC (2017–2022) [REDACTED] Al-Qaeda and allies [REDACTED]   Islamic State [REDACTED] Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki [REDACTED] Ibrahim al Qosi [REDACTED] Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi [REDACTED] al-Qaeda [REDACTED] Al-Qaeda Ansar al-Shariah campaign (2011–14) Houthi rebellion (2014) Bombings and terrorist attacks in Yemen Houthi missile and drone attacks in Yemen Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia Houthi attacks on

1040-612: A more assertive foreign policy, particularly reflected in the country's intervention in Yemen in 2015 and its involvement in Lebanon in 2017. This has continued with the June 2017 appointment of Mohammad bin Salman as Crown Prince , who has been considered the power behind the throne for years. The Crown Prince has referred to Iran, Turkey, and Islamic extremist groups as a "triangle of evil", and compared Supreme Leader Khamenei to Adolf Hitler. The populist, anti-Iranian rhetoric comes at

1144-559: A more hawkish stance than the Obama administration on Iran, which would potentially benefit Riyadh. Iran feared the return of economic isolation, and President Hassan Rouhani made efforts to establish further international economic participation for the country by signing oil deals with Western companies before Trump took office. In May 2017, President Trump declared a shift in US foreign policy toward favoring Saudi Arabia at Iran's expense, marking

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1248-607: A power void. These uprisings across the Arab world caused political instability throughout the region. In response, Saudi Arabia called for the formation of a Gulf Union to deepen ties among the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic bloc founded in 1981. The proposal reflected the Saudi government's preoccupation with preventing potential uprisings by disenfranchised minorities in

1352-633: A result of an ongoing famine and lack of healthcare facilities due to the war. The Wall Street Journal reported in March 2023 that Iran agreed to halt all military support to the Houthis and abide by the UN arms embargo , as part of a Chinese-brokered Iran-Saudi rapprochement deal . The agreement is viewed as part of Saudi Arabian-led efforts to pressure the Houthi militants to end the conflict through negotiated settlement; with Saudi and U.S. officials describing

1456-502: A televised speech, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi , the leader of the Houthis, said his group's decision to mobilize for war was "imperative" under current circumstances and that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its affiliates—among whom he counts Hadi—would be targeted, as opposed to southern Yemen and its citizens. President Hadi declared Aden to be Yemen's temporary capital while Sanaʽa remained under Houthi control. Also,

1560-465: A time of uncertainty over potential fallout from Mohammad bin Salman's consolidation of power, and he has used the rivalry as a means to strengthen Saudi nationalism despite the country's domestic challenges. As part of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan, Mohammad bin Salman is pursuing American investment to aid efforts to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy away from oil. The reforms also include moving

1664-463: A widespread mass arrest campaign was carried out imprisoning many of its members and individuals associated with it and members of the Hizbullah al-Hijaz, even when the organisation denied its involvement. However, it vowed to continue its struggle against the government and denounced the 1993 deal, even if most of its members were arrested. Iran maintained its influence over Hizbullah al-Hijaz, but

1768-638: The 2017 Sinai attack on Al-Jazeera and called for bombing of the network by a Saudi-led coalition. In late November 2017, IRGC commander Jafari said revolutionary Islamic paramilitary forces had formed across the Middle East and surrounding regions to counter the influence of ultraconservative militant jihadi groups and Western powers. In 2017 Saudi Arabia funded the creation of the Persian language satellite TV station Iran International , operated from London . Saudi Arabia under King Salman has adopted

1872-587: The Balkans , and the Caucasus . In what has been described as a new cold war , the conflict is waged on multiple levels over geopolitical, economic, and sectarian influence in pursuit of regional hegemony . The rivalry has drawn comparisons to the dynamics of the Cold War era. As of 2017 , the rivalry is primarily a political and economic struggle exacerbated by religious differences, and sectarianism in

1976-580: The Houthis , is a Zaydi group with its origins in the mountainous Sa'dah Governorate on Yemen's northern border with Saudi Arabia . They led a low-level insurgency against the Yemeni government in 2004 after their leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi , was killed in a government military crackdown following his protests against government policies. The intensity of the conflict waxed and waned over

2080-870: The Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry , is an ongoing struggle for influence in the Middle East and other regions of the Muslim world . The two countries have provided varying degrees of support to opposing sides in nearby conflicts , including the civil wars in Syria and Yemen ; and disputes in Bahrain , Lebanon , Qatar , and Iraq . The struggle also extends to disputes or broader competition in other countries globally including in West , North and East Africa , South , Central , Southeast Asia ,

2184-632: The Muslim Brotherhood , which as of 2015 is considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, supports anti-Islamist forces in Libya , Egypt, Yemen and other countries, and is focused more on domestic issues, similar to Egypt under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi . These differences make it unlikely that

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2288-526: The Quds Forces and Hezbollah in neighboring Yemen as part of Iranian attempts to establish a satellite state in the country and trap them into a stalemate. Western commentators have argued that the Iranian policy in Yemen has been hinged on developing bases for ballistic missiles targeting GCC countries, establishing naval dominance in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait by advancing area denial capabilities and weapons trafficking , in addition to

2392-633: The Syrian civil war , with Iran and Turkey two of the non-Arab countries to support Qatar against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries in the Qatar diplomatic crisis which lasted for over two years. In this regard, the rivalry and tension is often seen as being between Iran and Gulf Arab monarchies (all of which identify more with theocratic governance), such as the GCC states and their allies: namely Egypt , Sudan , Jordan and Morocco . The biggest rivalry in

2496-475: The United Arab Emirates , in part to hedge Iranian power and prevent the spread of its revolution. Although Iraq hoped to take advantage of Iran's post-revolutionary chaos , it made limited progress and was quickly repelled; Iran regained virtually all lost territory by June 1982. For the next six years, Iran was on the offensive until near the end of the war. American support for Iraq during

2600-556: The United Arab Emirates . Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State have also carried out attacks against both factions, with AQAP controlling swathes of territory in the hinterlands, and along stretches of the coast. The UN brokered a two-month nationwide truce on 2 April 2022 between Yemen's warring parties, which allowed fuel imports into Houthi-held areas and some flights to operate from Sanaa International Airport to Jordan and Egypt. On 7 April 2022,

2704-697: The war against ISIL . While they all share concern over Iran, the Sunni Arab governments both within and outside of the GCC have long disagreed on political Islam. Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi religious establishment and its top-down bureaucracy differ from some of its allies such as Qatar, which promotes populist Sunni Islamist platforms similar to that of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey . Qatar has also drawn criticism from neighboring Sunni countries for its support of controversial transnational organizations like

2808-553: The Arab Cold War between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and 1960s. Influence was judged by each state's ability to affect the affairs of neighboring countries, non-state actors played significant roles, and disunity in both camps led to tactical alliances between states on opposing sides. The 2015 Mina stampede in Mecca during the annual Hajj (Arabic word for pilgrimage) to Mecca further inflamed tensions. Tehran blamed

2912-612: The Arab–Iranian conflict is between Saudi Arabia and Iran , who have been waging a heavy proxy war against each other since the late 1970s. The proxy conflict can be traced back to the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when the US-backed monarchic Imperial State of Iran became an Islamic republic . The revolutionaries called for the overthrow of monarchies and secular governments to be replaced with Islamic republics, much to

3016-612: The Comoros cut diplomatic ties with Iran. Iran's foreign ministry responded by saying the Saudis were using the incident as a pretext for fueling tensions. Upon taking the throne in 2015, King Salman made significant changes in domestic policy in an effort to address growing unemployment and economic uncertainty. Such economic pressures further affected the regional dynamic in 2016. Russia, which had long maintained ties with Iran, also sought closer ties to Saudi Arabia. In September 2016,

3120-582: The Eastern Province within Saudi Arabia. Shia representatives, leaders and notables, among them Khat al-Imam sided with the government and asked the population to stop the protests to preserve sectarian peace, which eventually happened. The protests were accompanied by arrests, violence and demanded democracy, Islam unity and the release of political prisoners. Loyalty of the Shia was questioned and

3224-521: The Eastern Province. Saudi Shia played an important role in the opposition but during the Gulf War the OIRAP remained loyal to Saudi Arabia. Rapprochement between the opposition and the government became possible after the death of Imam Khomeini and the end of the Gulf War, with diplomatic ties being restored between Iran and Saudi Arabia on 26 March 1991. Hizbullah al-Hijaz opposed the 1993 agreement between

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3328-513: The Gulf monarchies as well as its regional rivalry with Iran. The union would have centralized Saudi influence in the region by giving it greater control over military, economic, and political matters affecting member states. With the exception of Bahrain, members rejected the proposed federation, as Oman , Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were wary that it would lead to Saudi dominance. Saudi Arabia has become increasingly concerned about

3432-693: The Hadi government was dissolved and the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) took command of the Yemeni Republic, incorporating the Southern Transitional Council into its new government. The UN announced on 2 June 2022 that the nationwide truce had been further extended by two months. According to the UN, over 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen, as well as estimates of more than 227,000 dead as

3536-577: The Houthi occupation of Sanaʽa, which he pledged would be retaken. In Sanaa , the Houthi Revolutionary Committee appointed Major General Hussein Khairan as Yemen's new Defence Minister and placed him in overall command of the military offensive. In April 2015, United States National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan stated that: "It remains our assessment that Iran does not exert command and control over

3640-496: The Houthis in Yemen". The United States has regularly accused the Iranian government of arming and funding the Houthis. In an April 2015 interview with the PBS Newshour , then- U.S. secretary of state John Kerry accused Iran of attempting to destabilize Yemen. While the Houthis and the Iranian government have denied any military affiliation, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei openly announced his "spiritual" support of

3744-491: The Iranian regime" and said that it "may be considered an act of war against the kingdom". Also on 4 November, the Prime Minister of Lebanon resigned, sparking a political crisis seen as part of a Saudi effort to counteract Iran's influence in the country. Bahrain also blamed a 10 November explosion on its main oil pipeline on Iran. On 24 November 2017, Dubai's security chief Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan blamed

3848-491: The Iranian state with other similar organisations in the region. It was established covertly in 1999, and its existence was plublicly announced in 2005. Its armed wing, the Mohiuddin Nasser Brigades carried out a series of attacks as a continuation of the 2005 protests in Ahvaz beginning on 12 June 2005 when they attacked public institutions and climaxing on 24 January 2006 when they carried out an attack on

3952-527: The Iranian state, with attacks on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran's oil infrastructure. They allegedly perpetrated a bombing in 2013 in Ahvaz, and their latest operation was attacking a military parade in 2018. The Iran–Iraq War began on 22 September 1980, when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, and it ended on 20 August 1988, when Iran accepted the UN -brokered ceasefire. Iraq wanted to replace Iran as

4056-861: The Iran–Iraq War, Iran and Saudi Arabia engaged in tense competition elsewhere, supporting opposing armed groups in the Lebanese Civil War , the Soviet–Afghan War , and other conflicts. After the Cold War , Iran and Saudi Arabia continued to support different groups and organizations along sectarian lines such as in Afghanistan , Yemen , and Iraq. After eight years, war-weariness, economic problems, decreased morale, repeated Iranian military failures, recent Iraqi successes, Iraqi use of weapons of mass destruction , lack of international sympathy, and increased U.S.–Iran military tension all led to

4160-572: The Middle East. The monarchies, particularly Iran since the US-led coup in 1953, were allied with the US to ensure stability in the Gulf region and act as a bulwark against Soviet influence during the Arab Cold War between Saudi Arabia and Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser . The alliance acted as a moderating influence on Saudi-Iranian relations. During this period Saudi Arabia styled itself as

4264-585: The OIRAP decided to shift its operations out of Iran to avoid getting caught up in the animosity. OIRAP refused to create a military wing and carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia against the state when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps urged it to do so. A new organization emerged in the wake of the " hajj incident ", the Hizbullah al-Hijaz which was willing to ally with Iran and retaliate militarily. Its long-term political goal

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4368-581: The Saudi Arabian-led campaign, and despite the Biden administration's pledge to withdraw U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen , it has announced the sale of weapons to the Saudi Arabian-led coalition. When Islam first came to Yemen, it mostly took the form of Sunni & Ismaili Shia Islam, until the fall of the Hamdan tribe ruled Ismaili states in the 11th century Ayubid expansion, then

4472-469: The Saudi government for the tragedy and accused them of incompetence, which Riyadh rejected. In May 2016 Iran suspended participation in the upcoming Hajj. In September, Saudi Arabia launched a 24-hour Persian language satellite channel to broadcast the Hajj proceedings from 10 to 15 September. Ayatollah Khamenei accused Riyadh of politicizing the Hajj tragedy and argued that Saudi Arabia should not be running

4576-419: The Saudi government illegitimate. Between 1982 and mid-1984, hundreds of OIRAP sympathisers were arrested mainly for the distribution of movement literature, the writing of graffiti, fundraising and attempts at large-scale mobilisation, until 1985 when a mass arrest dismantled its internal organisation in Saudi Arabia. The "hajj incident" of 1987 led to the exacerbation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and

4680-402: The Saudi security forces over the next few days as the latter opened fire on the former. A sequence of protests followed in the next months, sometimes involving mass arrests and violence, but these mainly reflected local and community concerns like discrimination, exploitation, the absence of basic freedoms, and disappointment regarding failed promises of modernisation and development. The uprising

4784-403: The Saudi state blamed Iran. Amid the Iranian Revolution and the ensuing political crisis, Khuzestani separatists in the city of Ahvaz saw a chance to achieve their goals but the new regime crushed this attempt. Initially the protests demanded the cessation of discrimination against Iranian Arabs and involved other long-standing grievances, but tensions escalated and one hundred Arabs died in

4888-664: The Soviet Union at the behest of the United States, and later to combat Shia movements supported by Iran. The support had the unintended effect of metastasizing extremism throughout the region. The Saudi government now considers extremist groups like ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front to be one of the two major threats to the kingdom and its monarchy, the other being Iran. In a New York Times op-ed, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif agreed that terrorism

4992-496: The Sunni world could unite against both Iran and terrorism, despite shared opposition. Since King Salman came to power in 2015, Saudi Arabia has increasingly moved from its traditional Wahhabist ideological approach to a nationalist one, and has adopted a more aggressive foreign policy. The complex nature of economic and security concerns, ideological division, and intertwined alliances has also drawn comparisons to pre- World War I Europe. The conflict also shares similarities with

5096-560: The Two Holy Mosques . King Khalid initially congratulated Iran and stated that "Islamic solidarity" could be the basis of closer relations between the two countries, but relations worsened substantially over the next decade. The direct trigger of the Qatif uprising following the 1979 Iranian Revolution was a mourning procession marking the Shia religious holiday of Ashura, which was prohibited to be celebrated publicly in Saudi Arabia. The ensuing marches and protests led to escalating tensions resulting in bloody clashes between demonstrators and

5200-489: The United Arab Emirates U.S. raids on al-Qaeda Military operations Diplomacy Effects The Yemeni civil war ( Arabic : الحرب الأهلية اليمنية , romanized :  al-ḥarb al-ʾahlīyah al-yamanīyah ) is an ongoing multilateral civil war that began in late 2014 mainly between the Rashad al-Alimi -led Presidential Leadership Council and the Mahdi al-Mashat -led Supreme Political Council , along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute

5304-620: The United States' commitment as an ally and security guarantor. The American foreign policy pivot to Asia, its lessening reliance on Saudi oil, and the potential of rapprochement with Iran have all contributed to a more assertive Saudi foreign policy. In 2015 Saudi Arabia formed the intergovernmental Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) in December 2015 with the stated goal of combating terrorism. The coalition currently comprises 41 member states, all of which are led by Sunni-dominated governments. Shia-led Iran, Iraq, and Syria are notably excluded, something which has drawn concerns that

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5408-586: The United States' involvement in the Tehran attack. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei later accused the United States of creating ISIL and of joining Saudi Arabia in funding and directing ISIL in addition to other terrorist organizations. In October 2017, the government of Switzerland announced an agreement in which it would represent Saudi interests in Iran and Iranian interests in Saudi Arabia. The two countries had severed relations in January 2016. Several major developments occurring in November 2017 drew concerns that that proxy conflict might escalate into

5512-405: The Zaydis' discontent due to a non-conformity to Zaydi traditions, thus coming to an end with the overthrow of Imam Yahya's grandson, Imam Badr, in 1962. What followed was a civil war in which republicans opposed royalists. Helen Lackner explains that such a division was not ideological; it was based on past feuds. Nonetheless, external powers like Saudi Arabia intervened for ideological motives, as

5616-428: The addressing of social and political concerns. Throughout the 1980s, relations between the Shia and the state remained tense with hundreds of activists in exile as the Shia opposition relocated to Iran after 1979 in light of the then relevant conditions. The OIRAP focused on publishing, fundraising, and building a social movement in Saudi Arabia from Iran, with a non-violent but radical rhetoric, criticising and deeming

5720-443: The alarm of the region's Sunni-run Arab monarchies Saudi Arabia, Ba'athist Iraq , Kuwait , and the other Persian Gulf states , most of whom were monarchies and all of whom had sizeable Shia populations. Islamist insurgents rose in Saudi Arabia in 1979, Egypt and Bahrain in 1981, Syria in 1982, and Lebanon in 1983. Prior to the Iranian Revolution, the two countries constituted the Nixon Doctrine 's "twin pillar" policy in

5824-622: The assassination of former presidents, led to Colonel Ali Abdullah Saleh 's rise to the presidency of the Yemen Arab Republic. Saleh's rule lasted for 33 years. The major event that marked his regime was the unification of Yemen in 1990. His attempt was not entirely successful as a civil war broke out in 1994. However, he was able to come out of it victorious. Subsequently, the Republic of Yemen became constitutionally established. Saleh tried to maintain his position through constitutional amendments, hoping for his son to take over, but strong opposition and protests pressured him out of office. Meanwhile,

5928-435: The capital and traveled to Aden . In a televised address from his hometown, he declared that the Houthi takeover was illegitimate and indicated he remained the constitutional president of Yemen. His predecessor as president, Ali Abdullah Saleh —who had been widely suspected of aiding the Houthis during their takeover of Sanaʽa the previous year—publicly denounced Hadi and called on him to go into exile. On 19 March 2015,

6032-493: The civil war is widely regarded as part of the Iran-Saudi proxy conflict . Houthi insurgents currently control the capital Sanaa and all of former North Yemen except for eastern Marib Governorate . After the formation of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in 2017 and the subsequent capture of Aden by the STC forces in 2018, the pro-republican forces became fractured, with regular clashes between pro-Hadi forces backed by Saudi Arabia and southern separatists backed by

6136-428: The concomitant Iranian behaviour as a "litmus test" for the endurance of the Chinese-brokered détente . Since then, however, Iran has maintained military and logistical support to the Houthis. On 23 December 2023, Hans Grundberg , the UN special envoy for Yemen, announced that the warring parties committed to steps towards a ceasefire. The Saudi-led coalition's bombing of civilian areas has received condemnation from

6240-416: The conservative Wahhabi doctrine advocated by the Saudi government. Saudi Arabia also spearheaded the creation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in 1969. Saudi Arabia's image as the leader of the Muslim world was undermined in 1979 with the rise of Iran's new theocratic government under Ayatollah Khomeini , who challenged the legitimacy of the Al Saud dynasty and its authority as Custodian of

6344-407: The country away from the Sahwa movement , which the Crown Prince discussed in 2017: "What happened in the last 30 years is not Saudi Arabia. What happened in the region in the last 30 years is not the Middle East. After the Iranian revolution in 1979, people wanted to copy this model in different countries, one of them is Saudi Arabia. We didn't know how to deal with it. And the problem spread all over

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6448-446: The course of the 2000s, with multiple peace agreements being negotiated and later disregarded. The Houthi insurgency heated up in 2009, briefly drawing neighboring Saudi Arabia to the side of the Yemeni government, but cooled the following year after a ceasefire was signed. Then during the early stages of the Yemeni Revolution in 2011, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi declared the group's support for demonstrations calling for

6552-418: The dominant Persian Gulf state, and was worried the 1979 Iranian Revolution would lead Iraq's Shi'ite majority to rebel against the Ba'athist government . The war also followed a long history of border disputes , and Iraq planned to annex the oil-rich Khuzestan Province and the east bank of the Arvand Rud ( Shatt al-Arab ). Hussein attempted to take advantage of revolutionary unrest in Iran and quell

6656-470: The expansionist Ottoman Empire . The defeat of the Ottomans in the first World War eventually gave way to the first (incomplete) unification of Yemen. This was possible during the Hamid al-Din dynasty under Imam Yahya and his son's rule. The unification also meant the establishment of a hierarchy within which Zaydis had authoritative power over Sunnis. As a consequence, the difference in status became instituted and normalized. The Hamid al-Din dynasty faced

6760-422: The group "Friends of Yemen" was created, initially to stop al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) after evidence pointed at it as the main perpetrator behind multiple attacks on US military bases and equipment. The "Friends of Yemen" group became more involved in Yemen during the Arab Spring , after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and United Nations recommended that the management of Yemen's "crisis" be put in

6864-466: The group, the Houthis fought the Yemen Army forces under the command of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar . In a battle that lasted only a few days, Houthi fighters seized control of Sanaa , the Yemeni capital, in September 2014. The Houthis forced Hadi to negotiate an agreement to end the violence, in which the government resigned and the Houthis gained an unprecedented level of influence over state institutions and politics. In January 2015, unhappy with

6968-472: The hands of global actors. After the end of their rule, from the 1960s onwards, Zaydis faced discrimination and Sunnification policies from the consequent Sunni dominated governments. For example, Salafis in Saada claimed al-Shawkani as an intellectual precursor, and future Yemeni regimes would uphold his Sunnization policies as a unifier of the country and to undermine Zaydi Shi'ism. Ansar Allah (sometimes Anglicised as Ansarullah), known popularly as

7072-501: The heart of the Muslims from the back ... Mecca is in the hands of a band of heretics." Iran also called for the ouster of the Saudi government. The current phase of the conflict began in 2011 when the Arab Spring sparked a revolutionary wave across the Middle East and North Africa, leading to revolutions in Tunisia , Egypt , and Yemen , and the outbreak of civil war in Libya and Syria . The Arab Spring in 2011 destabilized three major regional actors, Iraq, Syria and Egypt, creating

7176-514: The historical religious sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims , due to Saudi Arabia and post-revolutionary Iran seeing themselves as the champion leading states for Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims , respectively. A noteworthy point in this conflict is that Iran has very positive relations with numerous Arab countries such as Iraq , Syria , Lebanon , Algeria and Tunisia . Qatar also has established close working relations with Tehran, despite their differences of opinion over

7280-493: The initiative is part of the Saudi effort to isolate Iran. Due to the decreasing importance of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict as a wedge issue and mutual tensions with Iran, GCC states have sought strengthened economic and security cooperation with Israel , which is involved in its own proxy conflict with Iran. The onset of the Arab Winter exacerbated Saudi concerns about Iran as well as its own internal stability. This prompted Riyadh to take greater action to maintain

7384-425: The intensification of Iranian cyberwarfare . However, this characterization has been disputed by various analysts and academics, who assert that Houthis are independent of Iran. According to professor Stephen Zunes , the majority of Houthi arms supplies primarily originate from the black market , and Houthis obtain most of their weaponry from non-Iranian sources. On 7 August 2018, IRGC commander Nasser Shabani

7488-595: The international community. According to the Yemen Data Project, the bombing campaign has killed or injured an estimated 19,196 civilians as of March 2022. Houthi drone attacks targeting civilian areas in Saudi Arabia, UAE , and Southern Yemen have also attracted global condemnation; and the UN Security Council has imposed a global arms embargo on the Houthis since 2015. The United States has provided intelligence and logistical support for

7592-627: The latter sought to maintain the monarchy system which it adhered to itself. Despite Saudi Arabia's original intentions, in 1970, the republican form was retained. While these developments took place in the North, liberation movements against British presence broke out, amounting to the creation of a socialist state, hence Soviet Union ally, in the Southern Arabian region. It was named the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY). The PDRY

7696-551: The leader of the Muslim world , basing its legitimacy in part on its control of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina . In 1962, it sponsored the inaugural General Islamic Conference in Mecca, at which a resolution was passed to create the Muslim World League . The organization is dedicated to spreading Islam and fostering Islamic solidarity under the Saudi purview, and has been successful in promoting Islam, particularly

7800-483: The mainly Shia opposition and the government, even when the government released Shia political prisoners and granted amnesty to those in exile, arguing that it would only support it if real gains for the Shia were achievable.The Khat al-Imam movement gained prominence briefly before the 1996 Khobar Towers bombings when some Shia became disillusioned with the agreement. After the attack on the Khobar Towers in 1996

7904-457: The mainstream of Saudi Shia distanced themselves from it once the Saudi government accepted the RMS as their representative. However, the political reforms and full recognition of Saudi Shia as Saudi citizens and their integration into the state did not get realised. Tensions in the Eastern Province had been building up for years and erupted during the 2011 Arab Spring, but remained confined to Qatif and

8008-578: The majority of Hamdan tribes converted to Zaydism , a Shia sect. It was not until the arrival of the Rasulids that Shafi'i Sunnism became popular. From there on, the two groups, Zaydis in the north and Rasulids in the South, started competing with each other. The state of rivalry was cut short by the fall of the Rasulid rule and the succession of imperialist powers' involvements in the Middle East, notably

8112-785: The movement in a personal meeting with the Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam in Tehran , in the midst of ongoing conflicts in Aden in 2019. Although there has been no direct intervention by the Iranian government, the Yemeni civil war is widely regarded as part of the Iran-Saudi proxy conflict . The United States, Saudi Arabia, UAE and various Western commentators have accused various IRGC networks of assisting Houthis through arms supplies, military training, logistics, strategic co-ordination and media support. Saudi Arabia views activities by

8216-538: The networks of Hizbullah al-Hijaz and Khat al-Imam inside Saudi Arabia were severely weakened through the arrests of many of its leaders. Meanwhile, during the Gulf War OIRAP changed its name to Shia Reform Movement (RMS) and its strategy with it, shifting away from the Islamic and Shia discourse and moving towards pro-democracy and pro-human rights activism with government opposition concentrated in Qatif and

8320-491: The next day in Lahij Governorate . By 25 March, Lahij fell to the Houthis and they reached the outskirts of Aden, the seat of power for Hadi's government. Hadi fled the country the same day. Concurrently, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched military operations by using air strikes and restored the former Yemeni government . Although there has been no direct intervention by the Iranian government in Yemen,

8424-691: The official government of Yemen . The civil war began in September 2014 when Houthi forces took over the capital city Sanaa , which was followed by a rapid Houthi takeover of the government . On 21 March 2015, the Houthi-led Supreme Revolutionary Committee declared a general mobilization to overthrow then-president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and expand their control by driving into southern provinces. The Houthi offensive, allied with military forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh , began fighting

8528-472: The opportunity to reach its pre-sanction levels of output. In what was seen as a significant compromise, Saudi Arabia offered to reduce its oil production if Iran capped its own output by the end of 2016. Extremist movements throughout the Middle East have also become a major division between Iran and Saudi Arabia. During the Cold War, Saudi Arabia funded extremist militants in part to bolster resistance to

8632-614: The pilgrimage. On 2 January 2016, 47 people were put to death in several Saudi cities, including prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr . Protesters of the executions responded by demonstrating in Iran's capital, Tehran. That same day a few protesters would eventually ransack the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and later set it ablaze. Police donned riot gear and arrested 40 people during the incident. In response, Saudi Arabia, along with its allies, Bahrain, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, and

8736-554: The political climate of the Middle East. The deal was concluded after Iranian agreement to stop its military support for the Houthi militants in the Yemeni civil war . The Arab–Iranian conflict or Arab-Persian conflict is a term which is used in reference to the modern conflict between Arab League countries and Iran . In a broader sense, the term is also used in reference to the historical ethnic tensions which have existed for centuries between Arabs and Persians as well as

8840-435: The region is exploited by both countries for geopolitical purposes as part of a larger conflict. Iran sees itself as the leading Shia Muslim power, while Saudi Arabia sees itself as the leading Sunni Muslim power (see Shia–Sunni relations ). As of 10 March 2023 , diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been restored due to Chinese-Iraqi brokered talks, which could have positive implications in

8944-453: The resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh . Later that year, as Saleh prepared to leave office, the Houthis laid siege to the Salafi -majority village of Dammaj in northern Yemen, a step toward attaining virtual autonomy for Sa'dah. The Houthis boycotted a single-candidate election in early 2012 meant to give Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi a two-year term of office. They participated in

9048-594: The resulting riot. In April 2005 rioting and clashes between protesters and security forces erupted in Ahvaz once again. The reason for the uproar was the government's alleged intention to change Khuzestan's ethnic composition. The ASMLA (Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz) in Khuzestan is a Sunni Muslim separatist, ethno-nationalist terrorist organisation seeking to establish an Arab state within Iran, encouraging and engaging in armed struggle against

9152-564: The revolution in its infancy. Fearing a possible revolutionary wave that could threaten Iraq's stability and embolden its Shia population, Iraq triggered the Iran–Iraq War which lasted for eight years and killed hundreds of thousands. Saddam had reportedly secured Saudi support for Iraq's war effort during an August 1980 visit he made to Saudi Arabia. This was in addition to financial and military support Iraq received from neighbouring leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan , Qatar, and

9256-491: The same day as the mosque bombings, al-Qaeda militants captured the provincial capital of Lahij , Al Houta District after killing about 20 soldiers before being driven out several hours later. Hadi reiterated in a speech on 21 March 2015 that he was the legitimate president of Yemen and declared, "We will restore security to the country and hoist the flag of Yemen in Sanaʽa, instead of the Iranian flag." He also declared Aden to be Yemen's "economic and temporary capital" due to

9360-593: The status quo, particularly within Bahrain and other bordering states, with a new foreign policy described as a "21st century version of the Brezhnev Doctrine ". Iran took the opposite approach in the hope of taking advantage of regional instability by expanding its presence in the Shia crescent and creating a land corridor of influence stretching from Iraq to Lebanon, done in part by supporting Shia militias in

9464-544: The subsequent crackdown the Saudi government demolished several historical sites and many other buildings and houses in Qatif. On 17 June, Iran announced that the Saudi coast guard had killed an Iranian fisherman. Soon after, Saudi authorities captured three Iranian citizens who they claimed were IRGC members plotting a terrorist attack on an offshore Saudi oilfield. Iran denied the claim, saying that those captured are regular fishermen and demanding their immediate release. In

9568-451: The troops loyal to Hadi clashed with those who refused to recognize his authority in the Battle of Aden Airport . The forces under General Abdul-Hafez al-Saqqaf were defeated, and al-Saqqaf fled toward Sanaʽa. In apparent retaliation for the routing of al-Saqqaf, warplanes reportedly flown by Houthi pilots bombed Hadi's compound in Aden. After the 20 March 2015 Sanaa mosque bombings , in

9672-490: The two nations conducted informal talks about cooperating on oil production. Both had been heavily affected by the collapse of oil prices and considered the possibility of an OPEC freeze on oil output. As part of the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin recommended an exemption for Iran, whose oil output had steadily increased following the lifting of international sanctions in January 2016. He stated that Iran deserved

9776-595: The two remain unclear. Hizbullah al-Hijaz took over OIRAP's role on the radical end of the spectrum of the Shia opposition in Saudi Arabia and its role in the Iranian propaganda effort against Saudi Arabia. The two distanced themselves from each other leading to the fragmentation of the Saudi Shia Islamist opposition. Hizubllah al-Hijaz perpetrated bombings in Saudi Arabia in response of the "hajj incident", which contributed to Saudi Arabia severing diplomatic relations with Iran on 26 April 1988. However, after 1989

9880-665: The wake of the June 2017 Tehran attacks committed by ISIL militants, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement blaming Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said there was no evidence that Saudis were involved. Later Iranian official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that Saudi Arabia is the prime suspect behind the Tehran attacks. The commander of IRGC, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari , claimed that Iran has intelligence proving Saudi Arabia's, Israel's, and

9984-614: The war can be seen in the Iranian cult of the martyr which had been developed in the years before the revolution. The discourses on martyrdom formulated in the Iranian Shiite context led to the tactics of "human wave attacks" and thus had a lasting impact on the dynamics of the war. In response to the 1987 Makkah incident in which Shia pilgrims clashed with Saudi security forces during the Hajj , Khomeini stated: "These vile and ungodly Wahhabis, are like daggers which have always pierced

10088-431: The war had profound effects on Iran. The United States' defense of Saddam and its role in blocking investigations into Iraq's use of chemical weapons on Iranian soldiers and civilians convinced Iran to further pursue its own unconventional weapons program . The government has also used American hostility to justify foreign and domestic policies, including its nuclear program and crackdowns on internal dissent. Apart from

10192-526: The world of Wahhabism" and asserted that, despite arguments otherwise, Wahhabism was the true cause of the Iran–Saudi Arabia rivalry. The election of Donald Trump in the United States in 2016 prompted uncertainty from both countries about future US policy in the Middle East, as both were targets of criticism during his campaign. The Saudi government anticipated that the Trump administration would adopt

10296-518: The world. Now is the time to get rid of it." Both Israel and Saudi Arabia supported the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal . In anticipation of the withdrawal, Iran indicated it would continue to pursue closer ties to Russia and China, with Ayatollah Khamenei stating in February 2018: "In foreign policy, the top priorities for us today include preferring East to West." The unilateral decision by

10400-523: Was an international threat and called on the United Nations to block funding of extremist ideologies using Iran's WAVE initiative as a framework. However, he placed the blame on Saudi Arabia and its sponsorship of Wahhabism for instability in the Middle East. He argued that Wahhabism was the fundamental ideology shared among terrorist groups in the Middle East, and that it has been "devastating in its impact". He went so far as to proclaim "Let us rid

10504-527: Was involved in the internal disputes of its northern counterpart. It had previously supported the republicans in fighting off Saudi Arabia's influence, but it was the Hamdi regime in the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) that was most notorious for its policies that aimed to reduce Saudi presence in Yemeni politics. His rule was, nonetheless, short-lived.  A series of political unrest marked by

10608-631: Was not a direct response to Ayatollah Khomeini's call for revolution, but was inspired by the Iranian Revolution. The Organization of the Islamic Revolution in the Arabic Peninsula (OIR or OIRAP), a regional activist organisation who had connections with Iran was involved in the events of the uprising. The organisation ran a radio station from Iran and had an office in Tehran. It encouraged Shia resistance and demands for

10712-590: Was quoted by the Fars News Agency , the semi-official news agency of the Iranian government, as saying, "We (IRGC) told Yemenis [Houthi rebels] to strike two Saudi oil tankers, and they did it". The Wall Street Journal reported in March 2023 that the Iranian government agreed to halt all military support to Houthis and abide by the UN arms embargo , as part of a Chinese -brokered Iran-Saudi rapprochement deal . Iran%E2%80%93Saudi Arabia proxy conflict The Iran-Saudi Arabia proxy conflict , or

10816-518: Was the establishment of an Islamic republic in the Arabian Peninsula and advocated the overthrow of the Saudi government through violence, involving implicitly the separation of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The Hizbullah al-Hijaz was the military wing of the Khat al-Imam movement which referred to the followers of Imam Khomeini's line. The movement was initially religious, social and cultural in nature, but then became politicised. The relations between

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