External Factors Affecting Iran-Georgia Relations

The article examines the limits of Iranian foreign policy toward Georgia, outlines the threats from the US and other regional players such as Russia, Turkey and Israeli, and also attempts to identify the main causes and motivations for Tehran’s affiliation with Tbilisi. After disregarding the Caucasus for decades and being excluded from its geopolitical chess game, Iran decided to cultivate a new relationship with the South Caucasus, including Georgia, hoping to regain its once-potent role as a regional power. Georgia is the only South Caucasian country, which has no border with Iran; and this geographical factor has affected relations between the two countries.
This paper has been performed as a field and analytical-descriptive study and has also been analyzed by “Realism theory” in Persian and English resources. The authors of the analysis studies in detail the opportunities for economic and other forms of partnership with Iran, which will help diversify Georgia's neighborhood policy, while balancing the interests of regional players of the South Caucasus. At the end of the research, the possible opportunity for Iran and Georgia that might accompany such a political strategy are discussed as well. The final goal of this document is maximum detection of the potential for improving Georgia-Iran relations and its in-depth analysis, as well as opening a space for discussion and debate on Georgia-Iran relations.