#IsraelIranConflict

The proxy conflict dates back to the Iranian Revolution, where Iran became an Islamic republic. Iranian Islamic revolutionaries specifically called for the overthrow of the monarchies in the region and their replacement with Islamic republics, which alarmed their Sunni Arab neighbors such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the other Gulf States – most of which were monarchies and all had considerable Shiite populations. Islamist insurgents would emerge and rebel in Saudi Arabia (1979), Egypt (1981), Syria (1982), and Lebanon (1983).

Before the Iranian revolution, the two countries constituted the policy of Nixon's Doctrine of the "twin pillar" in the Middle East. The monarchies, particularly Iran, allied with the United States to ensure stability in the Gulf region and act as a bulwark against Soviet influence during the Arab Cold War. The alliance acted as a moderating influence on Saudi-Iranian rivalry. By that time, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had oil wealth and prestige as the land of Mecca and Medina, the two holy cities of Islam. By utilizing Islam, Saudi Arabia sponsored an international Islamic conference in Mecca in 1962. It created the Muslim World League, dedicated to spreading Islam and promoting Islamic solidarity. The League was "extremely effective" in promoting Islam, particularly conservative Wahhabi Islam in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia also led the creation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 1969.