Episode 1
Part One
Highlights the 40 year struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia for dominance in the Middle East, in part, on behalf the the Shite or Sunni factions of Islam.
TV series
Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia
2018TV-MA1 season2.0 / 10
Bitter Rivals illuminates the essential history - and profound ripple effect - of Iran and Saudi Arabia's power struggle. It draws on scores of interviews with political, religious and military leaders, militia commanders, diplomats, and policy experts, painting American television's most comprehensive picture of a feud that has reshaped the Middle East.
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Checked Jul 22, 2026
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Synopsis
Bitter Rivals illuminates the essential history - and profound ripple effect - of Iran and Saudi Arabia's power struggle. It draws on scores of interviews with political, religious and military leaders, militia commanders, diplomats, and policy experts, painting American television's most comprehensive picture of a feud that has reshaped the Middle East.
Season 1 episodes
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Episode 2
Part Two
Frontliine explores the postulate that the current turmoil in the Middle East, particularly in Syria Iraq and Yemen, is a primarily a manifestation of a forty year power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Episode information updated Jul 22, 2026