This book examines the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the Persian states from 1979 to 1998. It covers perceptions Iranians and Arabs have of each other, Islamic revolutionary ideology, the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf crisis, the election of President Khatami and finally the role of external powers, such as the United States. The author argues that over the twenty year period, the policy has moved from being ideological to pragmatic; and that by tracing its history, we can better anticipate its future relationship.