Kiianytsia V. The Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf Region

The dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf region. The relevance of the research stems from Iran’s unique geopolitical location, its substantial raw material potential, the strategy of forming military-political alliances directed against Israel and the United States, the militarization of its foreign policy, and the renewed focus on Iran’s nuclear program due to the de facto termination of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which has drawn increased international attention because of the associated risks to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. Iran's policy in the Persian Gulf is also a matter of interest to Ukraine, considering Iran's support for the Russian Federation’s armed aggression, which necessitates the development of measures to counter the military-technical cooperation between these states. The research identifies the key characteristics of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy in the Persian Gulf. It outlines Iran’s strategic interests and their conceptual underpinnings, the fundamental factors influencing the formation of its policy, as well as the role of ideological and religious principles in this process. The study describes the challenges faced by Iran in implementing its regional geopolitical strategy and analyzes the significance of the small monarchies of the Persian Gulf in Iran’s foreign policy. The nature of Iran's relations with regional power centers – namely the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Iraq, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – is examined. At the same time, considering the established view of the UAE as a representative of the small Gulf monarchies, the author substantiates its classification as a regional power center based on an analysis of the UAE’s foreign policy strategy towards Iran.