In a riveting narrative based on accounts of her interactions with Saudi and Iranian politicians and rich archival material, a leading scholar on the Middle East unravels the mysteries of a contentious relationship. This seasoned observer of political and diplomatic worlds shatters the myth of the inevitability of sectarian conflict and that the diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and Iran is exhausted. Instead, Banafsheh Keynoush argues in Saudi Arabia and Iran: Friends or Foes? that it has yet to be explored, by recasting the partnership from a US-centered point of view to one based on how Saudi Arabia and Iran see their roles. Who is to blame and how to fix it is part of this penetrating historic account which captivates readers through accurate, non-sensational, and objective analysis. Keynoush recounts it all: the fears, misunderstandings, prejudices, and ambitions that have hobbled efforts to build a lasting partnership, creating a work that is important to both the expert and thelayperson.

Banafsheh Keynoush is a foreign affairs scholar and an advisor to American private sector companies and policy centers in the Middle East. She received her PhD at Tufts University, USA, and was a visiting fellow at the King Faisal Center for Islamic Studies and Research, Saudi Arabia. A former assistant professor, she writes and speaks extensively on the Middle East.

The mesmerizing story of two countries caught in history whose rivalry can destroy the world or restore its peace, this is the first book to untangle the complex relationship of Saudi Arabia and Iran by rejecting heated rhetoric and looking at the real roots of the issue to promise pathways to peace.