Behind this so called 'ethnic cleansing' to create the trade corridors......sits China! Nothing more to it.
Iran would never part take in this activity without a reward! Have a think; I always borrow a response from a learned poster on ATimes. He's good:
Yes. Shia-Sunni divide is political. Religions are socio-economic systems tied to economy.
Islam’s cleavage of Fatimite (now Shia, Alevi, Ismali) & Umarite (now Sunni, Wahabbi) is same as Republicans/Demos in Athens. Of 1.6+ Billion Muslims over 1.2B+ are Umarites, 250-400M Fatimites.
Like Socrates in Athens, Mohammed, a small businessman in 7th century Trading Arabia faced his Demos - Big Business Umayyads, Bankers Banu Abbas, Trade Monopolists infidels, and Tribe of Judah. Socrates’ lost to Democracy but Mohammed defeated his Demos with a superior socio-economic package and set up a Secular Republic with rights for all.
Mohammed won with timely Christian help.
[5:82] Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Yehud and infidels; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Nazarenes (Christians)" ..
After him Islam split politically in 2.
A: pro-Christian, Medinan Majority wanting to continue Mohammed's Secular Socratic Republic - pro-Woman, pro-Progress, pro-Peace, helping poor and weak, led by his daughter Fatima.
B: Anti-Christian, miniscule Meccan Male Moneyed Minority wanting Theocratic Kaliphate – anti-Woman, anti-poor, anti-Progress, anti-Peace, for conquest and colonialism, neocons led by his companion Umar, whose minority won with strong arm tactics.
Fatima died/was murdered within 70 days. The Kaliphate undid all Mohammedan reforms – Universality, Peace, Women’s rights, Justice, Meritocracy, Free Enterprise and Free Trade.
Fatimites kept alliance with Christians while anti-Koranic anti-Mohammedan Umarites terrorized them both and controlled world trade with Tariffs (Arabic Kaliphate word) till Christians found new routes to Asia ending Umarite monopoly of living off others.
Fatimites and Christians have never had a fight between them while the Umarites did. Lately Christians destroyed 3 Sunni Empires: Spain, Ottoman, Mughal (and created Israel). Sunnis blame that Shia helped Christians (they did), so Umarites have "scores to settle" with both.
A Fatimite Mustafa bin Ali Reza (Ataturk) buried Umarite Kaliphate, him and another Fatimite Jinnah founded secular Republics in Turkey and Pakistan.
Islamists today fight not in Mohammed's name but Umar Farooq al Khattab now a patron saint of jihadi terror. Mulla Umar, Sheikh Umar, Khattab in Chechnya, Umarov in Dagestan, Farooq Training Camps ... But ISIS Umarite Kaliphate was defeated by Christian-Fatimite alliance of Russia and Iran.
As China re-opens New Silk Road with BRI, Europe and Asia found it necessary to ethnically cleanse ME of anti-trade Sunni Kaliphate lovers so as not to have an encore. Today, to safeguard the Silk Road routes, they have turned core ME into majority trade loving Shia who also sit on all ME water and oil (even in Saudi Arabia).