Iran, relying on its geopolitical necessities and foundations—including its strategic and transit position, human and natural characteristics, and its historical centrality in the Islamic world—is considered a regional power in Southwest Asia. Given this description, global and extra-regional powers such as the United States and the Israeli regime—which are present in this region based on their self-interest—are striving either to bring Iran under their hegemony and domination, or to diminish and prevent Iran's independent behavior in Southwest Asia. Prioritizing the elimination of Iran as the leading pole of the Islamic world—which is attempting to counter their sphere of influence in regional countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon—they seek to achieve their interests. A true understanding of the components, capabilities, and facilities of each country—in a word, its geopolitical foundations—on the one hand, and on the other hand, the formulation of goals, policies, and programs aimed at ensuring national security and national power, which is the same as geopolitical dignity and status, in fact serves as a guiding light for any international actor. Iran, with its geopolitical foundations influenced by its geography, has always been the focus of world countries, especially global powers, throughout history.
The political and strategic environment of the Islamic Republic is located within overlapping circles of the Persian Gulf, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Southwest Asia. The unique nature of Iran after the Islamic Revolution throughout its historical periods is such that it can emerge and function as a regional power. It is obvious that for many reasons, including proximity to the Persian Gulf and centrality in the Islamic world, especially Shiism, these are among the most fundamental attachments of Iran. Iran's powerful presence on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean is the result of all the mentioned characteristics and is influenced by energy, the first revolution, and is the best evidence that Iran is at the expected level of this writing. However, the extensive presence of international powers and the clash of their interests with Iran's presence have created serious obstacles for what Iran deserves.
The United States has also been the main extra-regional actor and power influencing the security processes of West Asia, especially the Persian Gulf region, over the past four decades, and has planned and implemented various security schemes for this region. The expansion of military bases in the countries of this area and the frequent movement of American ships and submarines in the waters of the Persian Gulf are evidence of this importance. Moreover, specifically after September 11, in the US strategy, while energy issues and the Arab-Israeli conflict remained, communism gave way to terrorism. On the other hand, the Israeli regime, as a strategic partner of the United States, has shown great concern and sensitivity towards regional developments, and its political and intelligence apparatuses have precisely monitored and continue to monitor these developments. This is because the Israeli regime has faced significant and serious security constraints and challenges since its formation.
In Southwest Asia, Iran—due to its various geographical advantages, its adjacency to the world's geopolitical and geostrategic regions throughout different historical periods, its special transit position, its location within the strategic energy ellipse and other economic advantages, and especially its cultural centrality, its position as the center of Shiism, and its pivotal role in the Islamic world—can play a greater role than its national and geographical power. This role will be influential in regional politics and order, and if this role materializes and comes to fruition, it will be an important factor for enhancing Iran's position, organizing relations and the perspective of other regional countries toward Iran, and most importantly, for establishing order and progressing toward regional security in the future.
In this article, utilizing library documents and a descriptive-analytical method, we seek to answer the question of to what extent Iran's presence in Southwest Asia possesses the necessary geopolitical logic and necessity, and what are the geopolitical results and dimensions of Iran's independent behavior and presence in this region? Undoubtedly, Iran, by emphasizing its geopolitical characteristics, can play its special role in Southwest Asia.