Publications

Important changes in Iran’s regional status in recent years have in many ways expandedIran’s influence in the Middle East and accelerated its drive to confirm its status as a regional power with a leading role in the Muslim world. This ambition rests on Iran’ss being a key country in the region, positioned at an important geo-strategic junction and boasting an ancient culture and imperial past. Iran’s territory and its population are among the largest in the Middle East. It has great economic potential and the capability of building impressive military power, including nonconventional capabilities. The aspiration to regional hegemony is also driven by the regime’s threat perception, shaped by the trauma of the Iran-Iraq War, the American threat to its strategic power, and concern over the security of Iran’s oil production and exports.