The Role of Security Factors In the Aggressiveness of Saudi Foreign Policy towards Iran(2011- 2017)

A retrospective analysis spanning over two decades of tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran indicates an escalating security dimension to these disputes. This article seeks to illustrate that despite substantial global community’s backing for Saudi Arabia in terms of military and security assistance, the surge in Iran's operational influence across the region, particularly since 2001, prompted Riyadh to adopt progressively Aggressive measures and approaches to undermine Iran's capabilities. Consequently, countering Iran's regional role and influence became a central concern, resulting in an upswing of insecurity in the Middle East. In response to the core query, "How have security threats impacted the aggressiveness of Saudi Arabia's foreign policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran?” this paper has examined the hypothesis that "threat-oriented foreign policy of Saudi Arabia has led to increasing of the aggressive measures, crisis-creating and securitization from the Islamic Republic of Iran regional behaviors by Saudi Arabia." the research employs the framework of offensive realism, utilizes a qualitative approach to explain the causes, processes and consequences of Saudi Arabia's conduct towards Iran. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that Riyadh's aggressive foreign policy within the region wasn't solely a defensive response to alleged Iranian threats against Saudi interests.