The Foreign Policy of Iran - Essay Example

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a Middle Eastern country of more than 70 million people and of important geostrategic significance due to its central Eurasian location. Bordering Turkey and Iraq to the west, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to the east, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north, Iran, formerly known as Persia until 1935, has been a theocratic Islamic republic since the great Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution in 1979.

Politically and economically speaking, Iran is a regional power with a large economy, military, and extensive regional influence. It is impossible to discuss Iran without mentioning Islam and the important role that Islam plays in our society, particularly since 1979. The revolution of 1979 enshrined an Islamic constitution and the establishment of the first modern theocracy in the world. Governed by Islamic principles and the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, Islam governs all aspects of modern Iranian society.

Socially, politically and economically, Iran boasts a society that has embraced Islam as the guiding force for society. The legal system is Islamic, the social code enforces strict adherence to Islamic dress and behavior and the economy blends Islam and market economics. As the President of Iran, it is my duty to ask, how can Islam guide the foreign policy of this great country? (Zubaida, 2002; Bloom, 2005).  There are many foreign policy dilemmas facing Iran today and they include US intervention in the region, attempts by the imperialists (the US and UK) to thwart our legitimate nuclear ambitions, and the continued aggression of Israel (little Satan) against our Arab and Persian brethren of the Middle East.

A Jewish state in the Middle East remains a divisive and controversial subject and Iran’s legitimate ambitions to obtain nuclear weaponry have effectively ostracized our country from the vestiges of power in New York and London. American aggression in Iraq and throughout the Middle East is threatening to the Islamic Republic and something which must not go unheeded. These are the three major foreign policy issues facing our great country.