Saudi Arabia vs. UAE: How the Iran War Deepened This Gulf Rivalry | Mapped Out

July 25, 2026 | Saudi Arabia and the US have announced a nuclear deal that has rocked the Gulf. The landmark agreement would establish a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia with the help of US companies. Critics fear it could lead to Saudi Arabia developing nuclear weapons or even set off a nuclear arms race in the Gulf.

This deal is likely to be a new layer of a deep-seated and bitter rivalry in the Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE already has a nuclear deal with the US, albeit a less extensive one.

The news of this controversial deal follows attacks from Iran on the Gulf in the context of the US-Israeli war on Iran. This war has transformed the Gulf and sharpened the Saudi-UAE rivalry further.

The countries' leaders Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) of the UAE used to be bros, but their race to dominate the Gulf has soured the relationship.

From trying to build the biggest skyscraper like Burh Khalifa and Jeddah Tower, to buying up football clubs like Manchester City and Newcastle United, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will compete on anything. But this competition is fuelling conflicts in Sudan and Yemen with devastating human consequences.

As the US withdraws from its role as security guarantor in the region, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are scrambling to align themselves with new partners. The UAE is particularly working with Israel and might even be building and sharing military facilities with them in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia.

Can these neighbors find any common ground — or might this rivalry and the possible new nuclear deal split the Middle East even more?