Implıcatıons Of The Arab Sprıng For Iran’s Polıcy Towards The Mıddle East

This article attempts to review effects of the Arab Spring on Iran’s policy toward the Middle East. It argues that Iran could not have developed a consistent policy towards the region, because implications of the Arab Spring have varied in time in accordance with subsequent, emerging developments. The initial optimism of the Iranian leadership with regard to the Arab upheavals, gave way to prudent caution and rising anxiety as the expected opportunities brought by upheavals were overwhelmed by new challenges to Iran’s regional strategy. With a new approach to foreign policy that highlighted moderation and constructive interaction with international actors, new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has striven to neutralize the Arab Spring’s adverse effects on the regional policy of Iran.