The tone of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in his address at the opening of the UN General Assembly indicates a clear shift in the country’s foreign policy, even if its strategic direction remains the same.
While Iran will push the US to lift sanctions and rejoin the JCPOA, it no longer sees its salvation as dependent on the lifting of sanctions but rather on its ability to forge strong trade relations with neighbours in the region and economic powerhouses in the east. The priority will be to make the sanctions ineffective more than getting them lifted.
Raisi’s appointment of Hossein Amir Abdollahian as the new foreign minister on August 11th signalled that the orientation of Iran’s foreign policy would be to look eastwards. Amir-Abdollahian has long been a proponent of the Negah Beh Sharq foreign policy orientation, preferring a policy focused on China rather than the US and Europe.
Amir-Abdollahian articulated his position in a statement he made to Iranian state television in February this year when he said: “One has to keep in mind that we are located in Asia. Experts believe that the coming decades belong to Asia and emerging powers, especially economic powers, have created this trait that we must redefine our relations with influential countries.
He had close relations with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, unlike his predecessor, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was distrusted and marginalised by the IRGC. Zarif was more comfortable dealing with the West, having earned degrees from prestigious American universities and spent decades representing Iran at the UN.
They praised the establishment of two new border posts and the holding of a joint economic commission and trade committee in the near future. Amir-Abdollahian underlined Iran’s readiness to meet Pakistan’s energy needs, especially in terms of natural gas, electricity and industrial products.
Hopefully more effective than bullets
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