The Emergence of Daesh and Its Impact on Regional Equations: A Case Study of Challenges and Opportunities for Iran

The emergence of Daesh in the Middle East region and in the territories in the vicinity of Islamic Republic of Iran as well as the support of some of the regional and extra-regional countries of this current have led to profound changes in the regional equations. Although, Iran as a major regional player, has faced serious challenges due to the emergence of Daesh, it has also faced several opportunities. With the emergence of the Daesh, Iran has faced many challenges in the discursive, security and political fields. However, suitable opportunities too have been created for Iran to introduce nonviolent Islam due to the activities of this group. The present paper is an attempt to delve into the following question: what challenges and opportunities has Daesh created for Iran? The necessary data were collected from documents and journals and were scrutinized as a case study through descriptive-analytical method. The findings of the research indicate that the main challenges created by the Daesh for Iran through changing the regional equations are outstanding in the discursive, security and ideological fields. At the same time, the opportunities created by the Daesh include the distinction between violent Islam and nonviolent Islam, introduction of Iran as an anti-terrorist state, and demonstration of Iran’s regional power and its effectiveness in the region