The Formation of a Soft Border in the Relations between Iran and Iraq in the Post-Saddam Epoch

The purpose of this article is to analyze the relations between Iran and Iraq after the fall of Saddam. the main question is: Despite the wide-ranging and historic differences between Iran and Iraq, What contributed to the improvement and expansion of bilateral relations between 2013 and 2017?The research hypothesis has been formulated using the "soft border" conceptual framework: "The expansion of ties between the people of Iran and Iraq over the period from 2003 to 2017, which results from a common religious identity, has increased the ties between the two countries and the development of a "soft border" between them. "The findings of the paper indicate thatwith the fall of Saddam and the rise of Shiites in Iraq, and the centralization of Marjaeit, the religious ties between the Shiites of Iran and Iraq have expanded; The findings of this paper are gathered from library and field resources and analyzed through descriptive-analytic methods.