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Saudi-Iranian Competition in Yemen: Causes and Escalation (2010–2015)
Abstract
The Arab uprisings, began at the end of 2010, have shaken the balance of power in the Middle East and have brought opportunities and concerns for both Saudi Arabia and Iran. Instability in Yemen brings Riyadh and Tehran to confront each other due to the importance of its geographic location as any development in Yemen directly aff ects both Saudi Arabia and Iran. So as to curtail the infl uence of each other in Yemen, both Riyadh and Tehran eff ort to have dominance over there. Although these eff orts run through the local actors of Yemen, in the case of their inability, Saudi Arabia has a direct military involvement in 2015. While Saudi Arabia’s approach is to maintain the status quo, Iran conversely attempts to challenge the status quo. The article attempts to answer the question of how and why Saudi Arabia and Iran compete with each other in Yemen between 2010 and 2015 within framework of security dilemma.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/teka.2025.20.1.7-20
Date of publication: 2026-07-20 11:23:14
Date of submission: 2025-11-15 16:37:09
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