Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia
2018 · 1 season · 2 eps · ★ 2.0 · Documentary, War & Politics, News
Ended
Bitter Rivals illuminates the essential history - and profound ripple effect - of Iran and Saudi Arabia's power struggle. It draws on scores of interviews with political, religious and military leaders, militia commanders, diplomats, and policy experts, painting American television's most comprehensive picture of a feud that has reshaped the Middle East.
Directed by Martin Smith · Written by David Fanning
Network: PBS
Your Rating
Episodes
Cast
-
Ali Khamenei Self -
Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud Self -
Turki Al-Faisal Self -
Mohammad Javad Zarif Self -
Adel Al-Jubeir Self -
Bashar Hafez al-Assad Self -
Martin Smith Self
Trailers & Videos
More from Martin SmithSee all →
Syria After Assad · 2025Syria After Assad
★ 10.02025
MovieDocumentary
Frontline examines Syria’s uncertain future under jihadist-turned-statesman Ahmad al-Sharaa. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, correspondent Martin Smith travels the country tracing al-Sharaa’s rise to power and the emerging threats to the country’s stability.
Spice Girls: Giving You Everything · 2007Spice Girls: Giving You Everything
★ 9.72007
MovieDocumentary
The Spice Girls are the most successful girl group of all time. They have sold 55 million CDs worldwide, had nine No.1 singles and had the biggest selling single ever by an all female group. Although there have been many documentaries, books and articles about the Spice Girls, the girls themselves have never told their story. Until now... This is the story of the Spice Girls, told by the Spice Girls - the story from inside the eye of the hurricane, the story of the greatest pop phenomenon since The Beatles. From their pre-Spice Girl days, the forming of the group, the early struggles, their first taste of success, world domination, the break up, the aftermath and their subsequent solo careers and lives. Their recollections form an intriguing and revealing narrative along with archive footage from around the globe which illustrates the time when the Spice Girls ruled the world and how they are soon to re-claim their place as the most talked about group on the planet.

NEW
The Crown Prince & The President · 2026The Crown Prince & The President
★ 9.02026
MovieDocumentary
Months into his second term, President Donald Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House. It had been seven years since a Saudi hit squad murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in an operation U.S. intelligence assessed MBS had approved.Now, Trump hailed MBS as a friend. The two men announced from the Oval Office that Saudi Arabia planned to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S.FRONTLINE's new documentary "The Crown Prince & the President" draws on over 100 interviews to investigate what forces bind the two men and their countries together, and what each stands to gain.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia · 2019The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
★ 8.02019
MovieDocumentaryCrime
One year after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a two-hour FRONTLINE documentary investigates the rise and rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (MBS). Correspondent Martin Smith, who has covered the Middle East for FRONTLINE for 20 years, examines the crown prince’s vision for the future, his handling of dissent, his relationship with the United States — and his ties to Khashoggi’s killing. This Episode can be watched Online at (last Update 18th Oct 24): https://www.pbs.org/video/crown-prince-saudi-arabia-1jt2ey
China, The U.S., & The Rise of Xi Xinping · 2024China, The U.S., & The Rise of Xi Xinping
★ 8.02024
Movie
FRONTLINE examines the rise of Xi Jinping, his vision for China and the global implications. Correspondent Martin Smith traces the defining moments for President Xi, how he’s exercising power and his impact on China, and relations with the U.S. and the world.
Obama's War · 2009Obama's War
★ 8.02009
Movie
Tens of thousands of fresh American troops are now on the move in Afghanistan, led by a new commander and armed with a counterinsurgency plan that builds on the lessons of Iraq. But can U.S. forces succeed in a land long known as the “graveyard of empires”? FRONTLINE producers Martin Smith (Beyond Baghdad, Return of the Taliban) and Marcela Gaviria (In Search of Al Qaeda, The War Briefing) once again make the dangerous journey to the front lines of America’s biggest fight. Through interviews with the top U.S. commanders on the ground, embeds with U.S. forces and fresh reporting from Washington, Smith and Gaviria examine U.S. counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan — a fight that promises to be longer and more costly than most Americans understand. [Explore more stories on the original website for Obama’s War.]
United States of Secrets (Part Two): Privacy Lost · 2014United States of Secrets (Part Two): Privacy Lost
★ 7.82014
Movie
An investigation into the hidden relationship between Silicon Valley and the National Security Agency.
The Rise of ISIS · 2014The Rise of ISIS
★ 7.02014
MovieDocumentary
FRONTLINE investigates the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Correspondent Martin Smith, who made "Truth, War & Consequences," "Beyond Baghdad," "Private Warriors" and "Gangs of Iraq," reports from Iraq on how the country began coming undone after the American withdrawal and what it means for the U.S. to be fighting there again.
Frontline · 1983Frontline
★ 6.61983
SeriesDocumentary
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.
The War Briefing · 2008The War Briefing
★ 1.02008
MovieDocumentary
The next president of the United States will inherit some of the greatest foreign policy challenges in American history — an overstretched military, frayed alliances, and wars on two fronts. FRONTLINE gives viewers a hard, inside look at the real policy choices the next president will face. The report features strategists and diplomats giving their best advice about how to correct past failures and how to shape a realistic foreign policy approach in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Confronting ISIS · 2016Confronting ISIS
2016
MovieDocumentary
Investigating the U.S.-led efforts to degrade and destroy ISIS. Reporting from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey, the film examines the successes, failures, and challenges of the fight, as ISIS loses ground in the region but strikes out abroad.
Targeting El Paso · 2020Targeting El Paso
2020
MovieDocumentary
FRONTLINE investigates how El Paso, Texas became the Trump administration’s immigration policy testing ground, and then the target of a white supremacist. Interviews with current and former officials, Border Patrol agents, advocates and migrants tell the inside story from the epicenter of the border crisis.
Xi Jinpings Weg zur Macht · 2025Xi Jinpings Weg zur Macht
2025
Movie
Privileged, yet shaped by oppression during Mao’s Cultural Revolution – this is how China’s President Xi Jinping grew up. A childhood and youth that would leave lasting marks on the world. Xi was molded early on for the role of leading a global superpower. But just how deeply he internalized Mao’s ideas only became clear over time, as authoritarian traits emerged that no one had quite anticipated – especially considering that Xi’s own father was a victim of the Cultural Revolution.
Xi Jinping – Aufstieg eines FührersXi Jinping – Aufstieg eines Führers
Movie
The “Chinese Dream”: a return to former greatness – that is Xi’s goal. He challenges Hong Kong’s special status just as he pushes for the reunification of Taiwan with the mainland. Military force and confrontation with the United States are not off the table.
Return of the Taliban · 2006Return of the Taliban
2006
MovieDocumentary
FRONTLINE reports from the lawless Pakistani tribal areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and reveals how the area has fallen under the control of a resurgent Taliban militia. Despite the presence of 80,000 Pakistani troops, the Taliban and their supporters continue to use the region as a launching pad for attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. In a region little understood because it is closed to most observers, FRONTLINE investigates a secret front in the war on terror.
Obama at War · 2015Obama at War
2015
MovieDocumentary
Military and diplomatic leaders examine some of the choices President Barack Obama faces regarding the Islamic State and the civil war in Syria.
More Like This
The Family · 2019The Family
★ 6.72019
SeriesDocumentary
An enigmatic conservative Christian group known as the Family wields enormous influence in Washington, D.C., in pursuit of its global ambitions.
The Politician's Husband · 2013The Politician's Husband
★ 6.82013
SeriesDrama
A drama about the shifting power in a marriage when the personal and political collide.
Chief of Staff · 2019Chief of Staff
★ 8.12019
SeriesDrama
As a chief of staff in the National Assembly, Jang Tae-jun influences power behind the scenes while pursuing his own ambitions to rise to the top.
Borgen - Power & Glory · 2022Borgen - Power & Glory
★ 8.02022
SeriesDrama
Foreign Minister Birgitte Nyborg finds her career in jeopardy when a dispute over oil in Greenland threatens to become an international crisis.
The Diplomat · 2023The Diplomat
★ 7.62023
SeriesDrama
Amid an international crisis, a US diplomat contends with her high-profile job as ambassador to the UK and her strained marriage to a political star.
