Iran and the Persian people have a long and illustrious history, with deep culture going back as far as human history and a (relatively) vibrant scientific community. They have a lot of natural resources and the firmament for a real long sustaining culture.<p>Saudi on the other hand is very &quot;new&quot; to the world in terms of culture and influence, only coming into prominence since the 1940s oil boom. The harsh environment isn&#x27;t hospitable to living there without extreme energy use.<p>Both obviously have major regional economic power, but the Saudi society is built on sand (literally and metaphorically). In the very long term Iran&#x27;s importance will come back so if anything the US and the broader world should be seeking to engage more with Iran and less with Saudi IMO.<p>That&#x27;s not getting into a lot of the political stuff obviously, more just an analysis of the &quot;fundamentals.&quot;