PARTICIPANTS: Jason Fields, Matthew Gault, Murtaza Hussain

Saudi Arabia executes a cleric who is a member of the Saudi Shi’ite minority. Iran’s government, which sees itself as the leader of the Shi’ite world, doesn’t work very hard to stop an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran that follows the execution. Saudi Arabia closes its embassy and tensions between the two nations, which had been growing for years, hit a new high.

With hot wars in Yemen and Syria, billions of dollars sloshing around between governments and militias and militant groups, it’s a good time to look at what’s really going on and what’s likely to happen next.

Today on War College, The Intercept’s Murtaza Hussain walks us through the Saudi-Iran split, explains how it’s a gift to the Islamic State and tells us just how worried we should be.

Subscribe to the War College podcast on iTunes

Listen on SoundCloud

Further reading:

Saudi Arabia and Iran are playing a winner-take-all game

Saudi Arabia is playing chicken

One phrase from Saudi clerics could begin the end of Islamic State