THE IMPACT OF IRAN’S FOREIGN POLICY ON ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF KHATAMI, AHMADINEJAD, AND ROUHANI’S ADMINISTRATIONS

This article examines the effects of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on its economic development in the reformist as well as the ninth and tenth government, thereby seeking to present the eleventh state policy in the field of foreign policy. The main question of this article is: “Is there a connection between foreign policy and economic development in Iran?”. To answer this question, a theoretical framework of the development-oriented foreign policy has been used together with some examples from China and Nigeria. The paper considers the application of a realistic foreign policy to create more opportunities for success in economic growth. Furthermore, it seeks to show that Iran’s economic development in the post-Islamic revolution era has been depended on political and economic cooperation with developed countries. Given these points, this article considers the choice of a developing country approach to foreign policy in the sense of accepting the current world order. Therefore, it can be concluded that Iran’s economic development depends on its foreign relationships with large economies.

Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Economic Development, Khatami, Ahmadinejad, Rouhani