Pre-Revolutionary Iran-Saudi Arabia Relations: A Complex Tapestry of Cooperation and Underlying Tensions

Despite the overarching pragmatism and periods of cooperation, the relationship between the Shah's Iran and Saudi Arabia was not without its complexities and latent tensions. The Shah's modernizing zeal and his calls for social reforms in the region, though often couched in diplomatic terms, were sometimes perceived as a subtle challenge to the more conservative Saudi establishment. While personal relationships between the ruling families were generally cordial, differing visions for the future of the Persian Gulf and the broader Middle East hinted at potential fault lines that would become more pronounced in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution.