BBC: Why Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivalsBy BBC. Published Sept. 16, 2019. Updated Sept. 16 at 9:15 pm Bodyguards and members of the security forces guard Al Salam palace in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on June 24, 2019. Photo by AFPSaudi Arabia and Iran are at loggerheads. They have long been rivals, but it’s all recently got a lot more tense.Here’s why.