Why the Fight Between Iran and Saudi Arabia Isn't About Religion

VICE

BY REZA MARASHI

When Saudi Arabia unexpectedly executed the prominent political dissident and Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr a week ago, the Sunni Kingdom may not have known how Iran's Shia-dominated government would respond — but it certainly knew that Iran would.

The subsequent storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudis' severing of diplomatic relations with Iran may appear to have their roots in religion, but the reasons why the Saudis chose to escalate tensions via the execution in the first place actually have little to do with a Sunni/Shia divide. Instead, regional and domestic politics are the driving force behind this dangerous fight.

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