The Regional Deterrence System in The Persian Gulf andIts Impact On Iran-Saudi Arabia Relations

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two major andinfluential powers in the Persian Gulf region, so that the nature of theirrelations has a great impact on the course of developments in the region.Relations between the two countries have been strained in recentyears, especially after the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Therivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has had implications for thesecurity of the Persian Gulf region and the Middle East, and has led tothe formation of friendship and enmity models and efforts to increaseinfluence in this critical region of the international system. Therefore,the future of relations between the two countries in the Persian Gulf regionand its impact on regional security is an important issue. The mostimportant causes of tension in Riyadh-Tehran relations are the hegemonicstructure of the international system and the consequent model forglobal restraining order , the position of the Persian Gulf region in theinternational system as a scale-free regional network, and US interventionin the region. The Persian Gulf region, as a scale-free regional network,is governed by a special regional deterrence system based on theworld order model. In this region, the United States, as an interveningpower, uses unilateral deterrence against Iran and in support of SaudiArabia, and Iran uses network and triangular deterrence to increase itspower in the region and confront Saudi Arabia. As a result, the future ofIran-Saudi relations has always been tense, but the two powers will notengage in direct and military warfare.