And, while its western neighbor Iraq is a fellow Shia-majority state, Iraq’s Arab Shia make no secret of their distaste for the Persians and their claim to Shia prominence. While most of the world may have missed it, there is an ongoing competition between Iraq’s Najaf and Iran’s Qom over which city is holier.
伊朗的邻国状况同样不容乐观。 土耳其本来可以成为不错的邻居，但除此之外伊朗东侧和北侧的邻国并不殷勤友好。 而尽管西侧的伊拉克与伊朗一样由什叶派占主导地位，但伊拉克的阿拉伯什叶派却毫不掩饰对波斯人及其什叶派地位主张的厌恶和反感。 虽然多数国家没有意识到这一点，但伊拉克纳杰夫和伊朗库姆的圣城地位之争一直没有间断。