Iran's foreign policy after the nuclear deal
- By Mohsen Shariatinia and Ehsan Razani
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 12, 2015
There will be greater complications when it comes to relations with the United States. Iran and the U.S. have had a hostile relationship since the inception of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The two countries have had contradictory interests in regional and international affairs. During the nuclear deal, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei, speaking at the Eid ul-Fitr prayers in Tehran, emphasized that "Our policy towards the arrogant government of America will not change in any way despite these negotiations and the document that has been prepared. As we have said many times, we have no negotiations with America on different global and regional issues. We have no bilateral negotiations with America. Sometimes, we have negotiated with them in exceptional cases such as the nuclear issue and we have done so because of our interests. The nuclear issue was not the only case… The American policies in the region are 180 degrees the opposite of the policies of the Islamic Republic."
With this in mind, it can be said that Iranian-American relations will not go far beyond tactical cooperation, at least in the foreseeable future.
In the regional arena, Iran's policy towards the Middle East will likely remain unchanged. This is what the Iranian supreme leader emphasized, stating: "Whether this document is ratified or not, we will not abandon our regional friends: the oppressed people of Palestine, the oppressed people of Yemen, the people and government of Syria, the people and government of Iraq, the oppressed people of Bahrain and the sincere mujahids of the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine. These people will always enjoy our support."
Therefore, the Iranian foreign policy can be seen through the lens of continuity and change; while adopting the policy of "constructive engagement" with the outside world, and particularly towards the European countries and the rising powers, can be considered as the main change in Iranian foreign policy in the foreseeable future, the continuation of the state of "no war, no peace" between Tehran and Washington as well as Iran's Middle Eastern policy will be the continuity in Iranian foreign policy. In sum, Iranian foreign policy will not undergo a strategic shift in the post-Vienna deal era.
Mohsen Shariatinia is a research fellow of the Center for Strategic Research in Tehran, Iran.
Ehsan Razani is member of the School of Law and Politics, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran.
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