Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Part of the Arab Winter
Map of the current situation in the conflict: Iran Saudi Arabia Iran allies Saudi Arabia allies Mixed Non-aligned
Date 1979 – ongoing (43 years, 3 months, 1 week and 6 days) Location Mainly Middle East; some Muslim areas of Africa (mainly Nigeria), Central Asia, and South Asia (mainly Afghanistan and Pakistan)
Belligerents
Iran
Proxies:
Hezbollah Al-Hejaz OIRAP (1979–1991) Liwa Fatemiyoun
Ansar Allah
Popular Mobilization Forces Al-Ashtar Brigades Hezbollah Hamas (sometimes) People's Protection Units Husseiniyoun Muslim Brotherhood (sometimes) IMN
Support: Russia China Syria Qatar (sometimes, from 2017) Lebanon (2017) Iraq (from 2006)
Libya (until 2011, alleged)
Venezuela North Korea Oman (alleged, denied by Oman, who claims to be neutral)
Saudi Arabia
Proxies:
Free Syrian Army MEK KDPI Jaish ul-Adl Ahvaz National Resistance Tahrir al-Sham Al-Nusra Front Palestinian Authority ASLMA Kurdistan Freedom Party Naqshbandi Army Free Iraqi Army Future Movement Sadrist Movement Lebanese Forces ISIL (alleged, denied by Saudi Arabia)
Support: United States Israel United Kingdom Iraq (until 1990) Egypt (2013–present) United Arab Emirates Jordan Bahrain Morocco Yemen Sudan (2016–2019) Kuwait Qatar (until 2017) Turkey (until 2017) Albania Canada Tunisia (2011)
Syrian Civil War (2011–present)
Syria
Iran Hezbollah
Russia PMF Lebanon (until 2018)
Support:
Iraq
North Korea
Pakistan
Syrian Interim Government Free Syrian Army Army of Conquest (2015–17) Tahrir al-Sham Syrian National Army
United States (until 2017) Israel
Support: Libya Saudi Arabia (until 2018) Jordan United Arab Emirates (2012–16) Qatar
Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Supreme Political Council
Houthis
Sanaa-GPC forces Ahrar al-Najran
Support: Iran North Korea Iraq Syria Qatar (2017–21) Russia
Oman
Cabinet of Yemen
Academi mercenaries (2015–16) Sudan
UAE
Bahrain
Kuwait
Qatar
(until 5 June 2017)
Jordan
Djibouti
Egypt
Senegal
United States
Al-Qaeda Tareq Saleh forces (since 2017) Tihamah Resistance
Support: Turkey United States United Kingdom Israel
MEK Hamas
Commanders and leaders
Ali Khamenei
(Supreme Leader of Iran)
Ebrahim Raisi
(President of Iran)
Esmail Ghaani
(Quds Force commander)
Bashar al-Assad
(President of Syria)
Hassan Nasrallah
(Secretary-General of Hezbollah)
Hadi Al-Amiri
(Leader of the Badr Organization)
Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi
(Leader of Ansar Allah)
Qais al-Khazali
(Secretary-General of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq)
Akram al-Kaabi
(Secretary-General of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba)
Nouri al-Maliki (Secretary-General of Islamic Dawa Party) Mohammad Ali Jafari (2007–19)
(Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)
Qassim al-Muamen (Leader of Al-Ashtar Brigades) Abu Ala al-Walai (Secretary-General of Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada)
Former leaders
Ruhollah Khomeini #
(1979–89)
Abolhassan Banisadr
(1980–81)
Mohammad-Ali Rajai †
(1981)
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani #
(1989–97)
Mohammad Khatami
(1997–05)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(2005–13)
Hassan Rouhani
(2013–21)
Ahmad Vahidi
(1988–98)
Qasem Soleimani †
(1998–2020)
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis †
(2014–20)
Hafez al-Assad #
(1979–2000)
Ali Abdullah Saleh † Saleh Ali al-Sammad †
(2016–18)
Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim Abdul Aziz al-Hakim
King Salman
(King of Saudi Arabia)
Mohammad bin Salman
(Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and Minister of Defense)
Abdulaziz bin Saud
(Minister of Interior)
Thamer al-Sabhan
(Minister of Gulf Affairs)
Obeid Fadel Al-Shammari
(Commander of Saudi Arabia Force in Yemen)
Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
(Commander of the Joint Forces)
Hassan bin Hamza al-Shehri
(Commander of the PSF)
Reza Pahlavi
(Crown Prince of Iran and Head of the House of Pahlavi)
Maryam Rajavi
(Leader of the People's Mojahedin of Iran and "President-Elect" of Iran)
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
(President of Yemen)
Former leaders
King Khalid #
(1979–82)
King Fahd #
(1982–2005)
King Abdullah #
(2005–15)
Muhammad bin Nayef (2011–17)
(Former Interior Minister)
Mutlaq bin Salem Al Azima (2011–14)
(Former Commander of the PSF)
Units involved
Hezbollah Syrian Armed Forces Iranian Armed Forces Republican Guard (until 2017) Houthi fighters Yemen Armed Forces (pro-Saleh, until 2017) Popular Mobilization Forces
Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia Free Syrian Army Yemen Armed Forces (pro-Hadi) Tareq Saleh Forces