Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, upon coming to power in Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution, adopted a distinctly Shia-sectarian constitution. With its approval, all Iranian citizens who did not belong to the Shia sect became, in practice, second-class citizens. At the same time, he embraced the export of the revolution beyond Iran through his “tilling the land” programme. To this day, the peoples of the region continue to suffer from the consequences of this programme. Among its bitter outcomes was the creation of ideologically driven Shia militias, which have caused significant bloodshed in several Arab countries.Today, the Iranian regime is increasingly exposed amid the ongoing war with the United States-Israel alliance. What it had long concealed about its intentions towards the Arab Gulf states and the excess power it possesses has now been revealed. It has failed to respect the rights of neighbouring countries, targeting civilian sites and economic infrastructure in Gulf cities.Gulf-Iranian relations are among the most complex issues in the regional system of the Middle East. The image of Iran in Gulf political, media, and intellectual discourse has been shaped by this ideological and military legacy, whose foundations were laid by Ima …
