IRANIAN FOREIGN POLICY ASPIRATIONS IN

EAST MED AND MID EAST

POLINA ANYFTOU – LECTURER POLICE ACADEMY, CYPRUS
 Trecerea din Rimland spre Heartland (natural border between the two)
 The only country that belongs to both theories of classical geopolitics
 Only country on the world island theory that has energy resources on all different
geopolitical maps
 The country that needs to be crossed for the trade in Eurasia
 A westernization meant failure of the Persian pride to administrate the country with its
history
 Iranianism * - `the historical right not to respect the occidental order`
 The triangulated foreign policy – Iranism, Islam and Shiism
 Iran will never let any occidental country (or other country like Russia or China) to
interfere with the structure of administration and with the stability of the country
 Ideological concept – justice in the terms of foreign affairs
 None country in ME has economic sufficiency, excepting Iran
 Iran is not interested in resources.
 Shared grievances and a common determination to challenge US hegemony globally
 Protect the Shia populations from abroad – influence.
 It is not the Iran that violations the international law, it is USA that forces Iran to move
(Venezuela)
 *** Iran has always had interests in Mediterranean Sea, but just indirectly – Siria and
Libya. Iran wants to stop Turkey in Syria and in Libia. Turkey is like an intelligent
orphan that does not act like the rest of the arab family (Ankara does not have very
strong relations with the Arabic people).
 In Mediterranean Sea, Iran does not want to go at war with Israel because Teheran know
very well the strategic power of Tel Aviv (resources, technology, etc.)