The Role of Tajikistan in Iran’s Eurasian Policy
Keywords:
Iran, Tajikistan, Eurasia, international systemAbstract
Over the past three decades, the Eurasian macro-region has gained significance within the strategic frameworks of successive governments. All subsystems of the Eurasian macro-region, including Central Asia, are geographically situated around Iran; from this perspective, Eurasianism constitutes a priority of Iran’s foreign policy. The purpose of this article is to examine the role of Tajikistan within Iran’s Eurasianist approach. Accordingly, the central question is: what role does Tajikistan play in Iran’s Eurasianist policy, and how can this role be explained? The findings indicate that Tajikistan is significant in diversifying Iran’s foreign relations and in strengthening political and economic cooperation motives within Iran’s Eurasian policy. Moreover, Tajikistan plays a role in Iran’s Eurasianist policy in areas such as counterterrorism, energy cooperation, advancing Iran’s transformation into a regional power, military cooperation, cooperation during the post-American transition period, and economic collaboration. This article examines the subject using a descriptive–analytical method and relying on library-based and online sources.
Downloads
References
1. Brzezinski Z, Tavali A. The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. Tehran: Sabzan Publications; 2013.
2. Rosenberg M. What is Eurasia? Defining the world's largest continent. 2019.
3. Amir-Ahmadian B. Geography of Eurasia. Farhang-e Andisheh. 2004;3(9).
4. Azizi H. Central Asia: The neglected arena of Iran's foreign policy. 2014.
5. Adami A. The 'Look to the East' strategy in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Views, backgrounds, and opportunities. Political Studies Quarterly. 2010(7).
6. Karami J. Iran's Eurasian policy, the Islamic Revolution, and foreign policy. Foreign Policy Quarterly. 2018;32(4).
7. Nouri A. Neo-Eurasianism in Iran's foreign policy during the Hassan Rouhani era. Iranian Journal of International Politics. 2021;10(1).
8. Azizi H. Iran's Policy, and its relations with China and Russia. 2023.
9. Mir-Mohammadi S. A comparative study of the foreign policy strategies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani toward Eurasia: Yazd University; 2020.
10. Doraj H, Falahatpisheh H. The alignment of Iran, Russia, and China against the United States in the Eurasian geopolitical landscape. Journal of Political Geography Research. 2019;4(1).
11. Sazmand B, Sour-Anari H. The impact of Russia's identity discourses on Iran's Eurasian role-finding. Central Eurasian Studies. 2019;12(1).
12. Rezaei M, Jahanian S. Regional security in the territory of Eurasia and the position of Iran. Majlis and Strategy Quarterly. 2015;22(82).
13. Koolaee E. Politics and Government in Central Asia. Tehran: SAMT Publications; 2015.
14. Moshirzadeh H. Evolution in International Relations Theories. Tehran: SAMT Publications; 2012.
15. Khosravi A, Mir-Mohammadi M. An Introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis. Tehran: Strategic Studies Research Institute; 2014.
16. Dehghani Firoozabadi J. Theories of Regional Integration and International Regimes. Tehran: Mokhatab Publishing; 2014.
17. Kaleji V. The foreign policy of Iran's 13th government in Central Asia: Priorities and proposed solutions. Institute for Iran and Eurasia Studies (IRAS), 2021.
18. Koolaee E, Zanganeh S. The role of Central Asian countries in the 'Greater Eurasia' project with regard to the roles of Russia and China. International Relations Studies Quarterly. 2022;15(2).
19. Hamyani M, Sajjadpour MK. Geopolitics and Eurasian identity: Iran and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Central Asia and the Caucasus Studies Quarterly. 2022;28(117).
20. Talebpour S. The role of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in the development of Iran's foreign trade. Journal of Political Geography Research. 2022;7(1).
21. Zarif MJ. The era of U.S. superpower status is over. 2020.
22. Turner D. Iran eyes opportunities in Central Asia. 2022.
23. Yousafzai F. Tajikistan, Iran agree to strengthen Cooperation. 2024.
24. Hussain A. Iran's drone factory in Tajikistan: A boon for Russia or a challenge. 2022.
25. Sadjadpour K, Grajewski N. Autocrats United: How Russia and Iran Defy the U.S.-Led Global Order. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2024.
26. Makhanov K. A New Phase in Cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran. 2022.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Alireza Shirzadi (Author); Alireza Amini; Davood Kiani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
