From the Lawton Constitution
By James Finck, Ph.D. Mar 22, 2026
As the United States’ aerial war with Iran enters its third week, it’s worth examining the geopolitics of the region, how it has evolved over time, and even the differences with the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s. This can help explain why Iran is so isolated in the Middle East and America’s cooperation with Israel.
An important factor to understand about Iran and the broader Middle East is that Iranians are Persian, while the majority of the region is Arab. Although they are all Muslim, the Persian Empire has a long and storied history and has existed in its current form since 1501, with different dynasties ruling until 1979. In contrast, most Arab nations, except Egypt, are relatively modern creations, having emerged from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, which existed from 1299 to 1922.
A more significant distinction between Iran and much of the Middle East lies in the split between Shia and Sunni Islam. This ancient division dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632.
The disagreement centered on who should succeed him; Sunnis believed leadership should be chosen by the Muslim community, leading to Abu Bakr becoming the first caliph, while Shias insisted that leadership remain within Muhammad’s family, starting with his cousin and son-in-law Ali. This difference shaped religious structures. Sunnis have no formal clergy and rely on community scholars, whereas Shias follow a hierarchical system led by imams and senior clerics called ayatollahs. Their religious practices are broadly similar, though Shias often combine prayer times slightly differently.
The first major regional power dynamics emerged after the end of colonialism in the 1940s and 1950s. Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser sought to unify Arab constitutional nations, like Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, under the banner of Arab nationalism, challenging the influence of the royal kingdoms of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iran that were ruled by the Pahlavi shahs.
Religious differences mattered less to the royal kingdoms, whose leaders were pro-Western, particularly pro-American, and part of OPEC. The shahs sought to make Iran a secular state, downplaying religious divisions. Yet, even though on the same side, mutual suspicion persisted as Saudi Arabia and Iran sought regional dominance, especially regarding oil.
This balance shifted with the fall of constitutional governments to totalitarian regimes and the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iran became an Islamic republic under the Shia ayatollahs, dividing the Middle East along religious lines. Iran lost the support of the Sunni Gulf States that feared the spread of the revolution while Saudi Araba saw a chance for a power play. Suddenly, Iran’s only real ally was Syria. Although Syria is predominantly Sunni, its authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad was an Alawite, closely related to Shia Islam, but his Ba’ath Party was effectively secular. The alliance was largely driven by shared concern over Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Iraq presented the opposite situation, its majority population is Shia, but its leader Hussein was Sunni. Fearing that Iran’s revolution might inspire unrest in Iraq, Hussein used a border dispute to attack Iran and weaken its government, igniting an eight-year bloody war from 1980 that killed between one and two million people. Even though Shia factions now control Iraq’s government, the war left lasting mistrust, though both nations have found some common ground in combating ISIS. Iran has actively supported anti-ISIS efforts in Iraq and Syria.
Iran’s position in Syria has weakened with the fall of Bashar al-Assad, leaving its influence limited to groups like Hezbollah. Beyond this, Iran is largely friendless in the Middle East. Its primary allies are proxy groups reliant on its support, most notably Hezbollah and Hamas, who set aside religious differences in their shared hatred of Israel.
This combination of religious and ethnic isolation for Iran has made the current conflict look very different from the Gulf War. During that war, the U.S. urged Israel not to retaliate against Iraqi missile attacks to avoid alienating Arab allies. In the present conflict, Israel is America’s principal ally. Although many Arab nations continue to harbor animosity toward Israel, their opposition to Iran is strong enough that they can temporarily overlook their differences, hoping to see a major regional rival weakened or removed.
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at james.finck@swoknews.com.
Historically Speaking 