Iran (IR)

Although situated at the edge of the Middle East, Iran and its people are central to the story of the region.To its South and West, Iran borders the Arab world, to its North the Caucuses and to its East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. For two millennia therefore, Iran’s culture has been influenced by its various neighbours. But Iran has also kept a distinctly Iranian – or for many Persian – identity.

Iran’s strategic position linking continents and cultures (it was a key thoroughfare on the Silk Road) and its diverse and vast supply of natural resources, has made it throughout history a target for invaders. Many today point to the long record of invasions and foreign influence over it as a key reason behind the distrust of others and extreme sense of the need for self-reliance in the country’s politics today.

Culture and identity

But the story of Iran is not just one of foreign domination. The vast cultural outputs of dynasties like the pre-Islamic Achaemenids, the Shi'ite Saffavids, alongside distinct poetic and architectural traditions, have contributed to an identifiably Iranian culture.

The arrival of Islam in the country was a key moment in the development of Iran’s identity. While Islam was brought to the country by Arabs, it was adopted quickly by Iranians who disseminated an increasingly Persianate form of the religion and the contemporary Shia Islam of Iran remains a distinctly Iranian concept.

However, with one of the largest and most productive diaspora communities of any nation and an uninterrupted contribution to world culture for thousands of years, it would be naïve to view Iran and its people without the abundance of nuance they deserve.

International isolation

Today, the Islamic Republic continues to pursue an isolated path for Iran that many blame for much of the instability the Middle East has seen over the past 40 years. The international community often points the finger at Iran-backed military entities such as Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist group, or the Al Quds force, which reports directly to the Supreme leader of Iran.

Nuclear programme

Iran's nuclear programme has also been a cause of instability and international disquiet. In 2015, Iran and western powers including the UK, China, France, Germany, the EU and Russia, signed a nuclear deal, the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), giving the international community a number of binding guarantees in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

In April 2017, the US under President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed sanctions against Iran. Under his successor, President Joe Biden, there is currently rented impetus for the US to return to the JCPOA. In September 2021, President Biden told the UN that the US would return to the JCPOA and remained committed to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.