Abstract
Saudi Arabia’s soft power sources can be defined at three levels: identity, religion and political values. These resources have played a substantial role in shaping Saudi Arabia's foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a regional rival of Saudi Arabia. Since Saudi Arabia cannot use hard power against Iran, the use of soft power is considered by its policymakers. What is the status of soft power in Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran? The hypothesis of the article is “Saudi Arabia by using sources of soft power (Arabic identity, Wahhabi, tribalism), trying to pursue the containment policy of the Islamic of Iran in the Middle East.” After referring to soft power as a theoretical framework of the article, we assess the sources of soft power of Saudi Arabia. Then, according to the theoretical perspective, we show how Saudi Arabia uses soft power against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article has been done using a descriptive-analytical method.
Keywords: Soft Power, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Policy, Identity.
 
 
 
 
Introduction
Realists in international relations consider power as the most important component in international politics; power, in the sense of the ability to influence to achieve results, resources and assets that a government possesses and can increase its influence. The majority of this power is manifested within the framework of military power, and the importance of this power is mainly due to the anarchic nature of the international system. Although this realist view still has serious supporters, it has undergone modifications in recent decades. The increasing role of cultural and non-material factors at the international level, the widespread use of media, and the growing importance of economic tools in foreign relations have led to a more diversified view of power in international relations. This new perspective on power has been embodied in the concept of "soft power". From this point on, the use of soft power has become an integral part of foreign policy for many countries around the world, with many governments dedicating a portion of their policies to using this type of power. A wide range of countries, including monarchical regimes such as Saudi Arabia, have embraced this type of power. Saudi Arabia's control over some of Islam's holiest sites and its rich energy resources provide a basis for utilizing soft power at three levels: regional (Gulf region), identity (Arab world), and religious (Islamic world). What has prompted Saudi Arabia to utilize more soft power is the serious damage caused by its use of hard power in various regions, especially in Yemen. Saudi Arabia's target countries have been a wide range at three levels: regional, Arab world, and Islamic world; however, one of Saudi Arabia's main goals in using soft power is Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been a focus for Saudi policymakers as a regional rival when it comes to employing soft power. Due to their inability to use hard power against Iran and engagement with forces close to Iran in various regions in West Asia, soft power has become a major focus for Saudi authorities.
 
Materials & Methods
This study focuses on examining the concept of soft power within Saudi Arabia's foreign policy towards Iran. Using a descriptive-analytical method, data was collected through library research.
 
Discussion & Results
Soft Power. Soft Power as a conceptual framework was first used by Joseph Nye at the beginning of 1990s. Nye argues that soft power has three main sources: culture, political values, and domestic and foreign policies. The components presented by Joseph Nye are an important step towards evaluating and measuring foreign policies based on a soft-power approach. Due to significant literature available regarding Saudi Arabia's perspective especially in recent decades, it seems that soft-power theory provides a good basis for analyzing Saudi Arabia's foreign policy towards Iran.  One of the reasons for the recent use of soft power by governments is the reduced likelihood of success in using hard power. The high military deterrent power of the Islamic Republic over the past three decades has made attempts to use military force against it largely ineffective, leading rival governments to focus on utilizing other tools. Among these governments, Saudi Arabia possesses significant soft power resources that provide it with a platform to leverage soft power tools. These soft power resources, in the form of religious, ethnic, and political values, have been significantly employed by Saudis against the Islamic Republic and can be seen as a key element shaping Saudi Arabia's behavior towards Iran. The main goal of this deployment is to create internal divisions among ethnicities and factions within Iran and weaken Iran's allies externally.  
 
Conclusion
Saudi Arabia's use of soft power against the Islamic Republic has been accompanied by challenges. The Islamic Republic of Iran has soft power resources in both national and religious dimensions. The utilization of these resources has neutralized to a large extent the internal effects of Saudi Arabia's deployment of soft power and practically aimed at weakening Iran's allies in the region such as Hezbollah, Ansar Allah movement, and the governments of Iraq and Syria. It seems that by strengthening media campaigns to portray these resources, Saudi Arabia's ability to wield soft power domestically and regionally against Iran can be further limited. The use of traditional media tools as well as modern tools towards achieving this goal is crucial.