Analysis of Energy Diplomacy of Islamic Republic of Iran: Presidential Terms of Mr. Khatami and Mr. Ahmadinejad

At the present, we are witnessing the increasing importance of energy diplomacy and therefore the importance of petroleum as the main political element in the energy cycle. Scrutinizing the frequencies of production and exportation and also investment companies in the presidencies of Mr. Khatami and Mr. Ahmadinejad, we can conclude the importance and necessity of composing energy diplomacy for the Islamic Republic of Iran. A comparative analysis of energy diplomacy with a focus on petroleum during the presidencies of Mr. Khatami and Mr. Ahmadinejad is done using economic liberalism theory especially that of Gilpin. The author addresses the following question: What have been the characteristics of energy diplomacy in the presidential terms of Mr. Khatami and Mr. Ahmadinejad? And whether there was certain energy diplomacy in those periods? The hypothesis of the article is that considering energy diplomacy characteristics, the Islamic Republic of Iran did not have a certain and well-defined energy diplomacy in the mentioned presidential terms. Lack of strategy in the energy field and particularly for petroleum is a similarity in these two presidential terms and their different visions towards diplomacy is considered as their dissimilarities.