Comparing Saudi Arabia and Iran

Comparing Saudi Arabia and Iran

 

 

    Saudi Arabia and Iran are states in Western Asia. They are both. Muslim-majority nations, where society is in general deeply religious, conservative, traditional, and family oriented. Many attitudes and traditions are centuries-old, derived from Arab civilization. At first glance, these 2 countries seem to be very similar, but upon looking more into their history and life behaviors, one can notice that they are unalike each other. 

Language

 

   Although both Saudi Arabia and Iran write using the letters from the Arabic script, the languages spoken are different, Arabic and Persian respectively, which make Saudi Arabia part of the 22 Arab states, while  Iran is considered as one of the few Persian countries.

Government

 Saudi Arabia has had a Monarchy and Royal family since 1932, which control most of the kingdom's important posts and has an involvement and presence at all levels of government. On the other hand, Iran is considered as a democratic republic. However, the Iranian president has little power compared to the Supreme Leader Khamenei, who can issue decrees and make the final decisions on the economy, environment, foreign policy, education, national and plannings, in the country.

Religion

    Saudi Arabia and Iran both follow the Islamic scripture, but their relations are fraught with hostility, tension and confrontation, due to differences in political agendas that are strengthened by their differences in faith.With a total population of 32,742,664 people, 90% of the Saudis are Sunni Muslims and 10% are Shia Muslims. In Iran, the population is much larger, with 80,945,718 people, 90% of which are Shia Muslims, 8% are Sunni Muslims, and the remaining 2% are diverse religions. Another difference is that Saudi Arabia had always been an Islamic country, and only recently changes are being made to adapt to a more civilized lifestyle, while on the contrary, Iran started acting as an Islamic State less than a century ago.   

Under both laws, wearing a hijab is compulsory for women, but it is way less strict in Iran.

Energy policy

    Both countries are major oil and gas exporters and have clashed over energy policy. Saudi Arabia, with its large oil reserves and smaller population, has a greater interest in taking a long-term view of the global oil market and incentive to moderate prices. In contrast, Iran is compelled to focus on high prices in the short term due to its low standard of living and its larger population.