Development of Economic Diplomacy in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Policy: Review of the Achievements of the Past and Challenges Ahead

Economic Diplomacy or prominence of the economic interactions in the foreign relations is one of the most important instruments to advance countries’ long goals and their economic development. Relying on its geographical privileges, rich natural reserves and well-educated young human resources, Iran has pursued in the last three decades, the policy of further benefiting from domestic capacities and capabilities in its international economic relations through better use of foreign policy apparatus or what we call it "economic diplomacy. Therefore, the post- war governments in Iran paid a reasonable attention to economic diplomacy in their foreign policy agenda. Meanwhile, president Rouhani’s foreign policy agenda also indicates that economic diplomacy through effective and constructive interaction with the world economy has been placed at top of its foreign policy priorities. In this regard, studying the role and share of foreign ministry in promoting Iran’s foreign economic relations is highly important to understand the nature of economic diplomacy of Iran. The primary question of this research is that: How important is economic diplomacy in the foreign policy of Iran? And what have been its achievements in this regard? In Response to this question, the primary hypothesis of the research is that: The requirements of the national development goals and upstream economic documents as well as programs and priorities of foreign policy of post- war governments at the domestic level along with the impact of the various actors of international transitional order, particularly the globalization of economy, constitute the most important factors that pushed economic diplomacy to the center of Iran’s foreign policy. The research methodology is explanatory- causal by studying and analyzing relevant data gathered through first and second sources at national and international level.