The conflict between Tehran and ar-Riyāḍ may result in Saudi Arabia’s vanishing from the world map. Yevgeny Satanovsky, political analyst and President of the Institute for Middle East Studies, told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am.

Referring to the objectives behind the escalation of tension, the orientalist stressed: “It doesn’t pursue any goals.  The war between Shia and Sunni Muslims is a conflict, which is over 1300 years old. It’s an old conflict.”  

Responding to the comment that there is much talk about the intentions of Saudi Arabia to prevent the U.S. - Iran rapprochement, Satanovsky said:  “Saudi Arabia can wish as much as it wants, but it’s unlikely to manage to do that. The U.S. has already made its choice and won’t change it.”

The relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia dramatically deteriorated after the famous Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Bakr and forty-six other convicts were executed on January 2. All of them were convicted of terrorism. Tehran excoriated the actions of ar-Riyāḍ. At the same time, an assault was made on the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Iran. Right afterwards Saudi Arabia announced about the break of diplomatic ties with Iran.