Iran and Middle East Studies / İran ve Ortadoğu Çalışmaları

Revolutionary Guards and Politics Under Rouhani 2016-08-15 Since its foundation in 1979,The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Revolutionary Guards, IRGC) has been regarded as one of the “fundamental” pillars of Iranian politics. Revolutionary Guards, who are constitutionally charged with “safeguarding the revolution and its achievements”, have always involved in politics. IRGC, like other security institutions in Iran, is directly subordinated to Supreme Leader of the Revolution Ayatollah Hamanei and its relations with Iranian governments have been practiced in different forms.IRGC’s political clout gradually increased under the presidency of Mahmud Ahmedinecad that generated a debate on “militarization” of the Iranian regime. Likewise, in the meantime, influence of IRGCalso increased in economy due to the effects of sanctions imposed on Iran for thenuclear issue. IRGC’s role in Iranian politics and economy has been regarded as one of the biggest challenges for Has...

Effects of the Coup Attempt on Turkey-Iran Relations 2016-08-05 Turkish officials, notably President Recep T. Erdoğan showed strong reactions to the ambivalent statements of Turkey’s Western allies about the coup attempt of July 15. Against the ambivalent attitude of the West, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu stated, “one of the biggest support during the coup attempt has come from Russia.” Iran was also one of the states thatclosely followed the developments in Turkey on that night and clearly supported the Turkish government. Iranian Government Supports Turkey Iran was on red alert at the earlier hours of the coup attempt. The transactions were halted at the customs gates, the borders were closed and the flights between the two countries were suspended. Military units were deployed in the border regions in order to ensure security.A crisis desk was set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran in order to monitor the coup attempt. In his first message o...

Iranian Politics After the Nuclear Deal 2016-06-10 A new stage of the nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Barjam), which was signed in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1, the implementation phase has begun in January 2016. This development, which signifies that the sanctions imposed on Iran due to its nuclear program are lifted, has certainly and mostly pleased President Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian architect of the deal. Rouhani, who built his whole political strategy onthe solution of the nuclear issue through diplomatic means, described the deal as victory for Iran. In addition to the nuclear deal, the results of Iranian elections for Islamic Consultative Assembly and Assembly of Experts of the Leadership, held on 26 February 2016, have also reassured him. The elections were a success for the supporters of Rouhani even though they did not secure an absolute majority in the Parliament and Assembly of Experts, whereas the Principalists, who had been harshly critic...

The Iran-Russia Axis in the New Geopolitics of the Middle East 2016-01-18 One of the most striking developments in the new geopolitical equation of the Middle East after the ‘Arab Spring’ is the rapprochement between Iran and Russia. The consecutive steps taken in the last couple of years and regional cooperation has turned the Iran-Russia relations into a ‘strategic partnership.’ This strategic relationship between Moscow and Tehran enabled Russia to become one of the important actors in the Middle Eastern politics. The Recent Past of Iran-Russia Relations Iran-Russia relations were largely improved in the 1990s. In this period, Russia became the most important arms provider for Iran. Besides, the foundations laid for the nuclear cooperation between the two countries became one of the symbols of Moscow-Tehran rapprochement. One other factor that facilitated close relations between the two countries in this period was the common concern for an American/Western and Turkish in...

PM Davutoğlu’s Visit to Tehran: A New Momentum in Turkey-Iran Relations 2016-03-07 Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu paid an official visit to Tehran on March 4-5, 2016. Bilateral relations, economic cooperation and the regional developments were set at the agenda of the visit. Although the parties could not recover their differences on the regional developments, the visit gave a new momentum to Turkey-Iran relations. ‘Iranian Spring’ and Turkey-Iran Relations In the aftermath of the diplomatic solution of the nuclear controversy between Iran and the West in July 2015, the season in Tehran turned to ‘spring.’ Many delegations including businessmen and policymakers from different corners of the world, but led by the Western European countries, have flowed into Tehran in order to assess investment opportunities in Iran after the nuclear deal. In return, in order to make use of the positive environment that has been ensued by the nuclear deal, for their political and economic ...

Başbakan Davutoğlu’nun Tahran Ziyareti: Türkiye-İran İlişkilerinde Yeni Bir İvme 2016-03-07 Başbakan Ahmet Davutoğlu 4-5 Mart tarihlerinde Tahran’a resmi bir ziyaret yaptı. Ziyaretin merkezinde iki ülke arasında ikili ekonomik ilişkiler ve bölgesel vardı. Bölgesel meselelerde pek ilerleme kaydedilmese de bu ziyaret, Türkiye-İran ilişkilerine yeni bir ivme kazandırdı. ‘İran baharı’ ve Türkiye-İran ilişkileri Temmuz 2015’te İran ile Batı arasında nükleer meselenin çözüme kavuşturulmasından sonra İran’a ‘bahar’ geldi. Batı Avrupa ülkeleri başta olmak üzere dünyanın değişik bölgelerinden çok sayıda siyasi heyet ve işadamı nükleer anlaşma sonrası İran’da yatırım fırsatlarını değerlendirmek için Tahran’a gitti. Buna karşılık anlaşma sonrasında ortaya çıkan olumlu koşulları kendi siyasi ve iktisadi menfaatleri doğrultusunda değerlendirmek isteyen İranlı yetkililer de birçok ülkeye çeşitli düzeylerde ziyaret gerçekleştirdi. Ne var ki İran ile Batı arasında ‘bahar’ yaşanırken A...