Iran has “accelerated” a diplomatic campaign, Iran’s state media IRNA said on March 6.
This is the latest message from Iran, days after it appeared that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had been strong-armed by the Supreme Leader to step back from outreach to the US.
It also comes days after a report said Russia might help mediate with Washington. Clearly, many things are in motion in Tehran.
“The Islamic Republic has accelerated a diplomatic campaign in recent months to strengthen ties with neighbors as part of broader efforts to balance against the potential threats of an aggressive and uncompromising United States and an increasingly malign Israel,” Iran’s state media said.
“The foreign policy of amicable relations with neighbors, which Iran has implemented to varying degrees of urgency and success over the last four decades, has taken on new significance for the country as a belligerent US,” the report added.
It noted that the Trump administration is seeking to put pressure on Iran. It was also noted that Tehran opposed new negotiations with Washington. “The diplomacy also comes as Israel has significantly ratcheted up tensions with Iran and its allies in West Asia.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, spoke to IRNA today about Iran’s strategy. He characterized Iran’s strategy as dating from the 1980s when Iran was at war with Iraq. He said that Pezeshkian has put more weight on diplomacy in the region.
“Diplomatic exchanges between Tehran and regional capitals have been substantial, and Iranian officials have been speaking more frequently of the prominence of neighbors in Iran’s foreign policy,” the report noted.
“In circumstances where you sense that the international environment has turned less favorable compared to the past — for whatever reason, be it the United States’ policies, unilateralism, the European Union’s approach, etc. — that could be when you could count on the region,” Baqaei said.
Iran is sketching out a plan. It knows that the Arab states met in Cairo this week to present a plan for Gaza. Iran knows it suffered a setback in terms of influence in Syria and that its Hezbollah proxy is weakened.
Iran says it is pursuing a policy of “neighbors first.” Who are the neighbors? Turkey and Iran have had a diplomatic spat this week. Iraq is seen by Iran as a kind of “near abroad,” and Iran has many militias it backs in Iraq.
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