A Study of the Iran-Qatar Relations after the Islamic Revolution (1979-2005)

This descriptive-analytic study seeks to shed light on the relationship between Iran and Qatar after the advent of the Islamic Revolution. Thus, the main question of the research is: what factors influenced the expansion and acceptance of bilateral relations between Iran and Qatar after the advent of the Islamic Revolution (1979- 2005)? The tentative answer is that the differing principles and objectives pursued by Iran and Qatar in their foreign policies and regional and transnational factors have developed and restricted bilateral relations between the two states in that time period. The findings of the study suggest that relationship between the two states following the Islamic Revolution have been affected by the outbreak of the Iran- Iraq war, export of the Islamic Revolution and the threat perception of the Qatari government regarding the spread of the Islamic Revolution. Other factors that influenced bilateral ties include conflicting perceptions of regional security and Qatar’s unilateral operations in the South Pars gas field, the presence of major powers in the region, Iran’s détente policy and a change of government in Qatar.