IONS and Security Convergence in the Indian Ocean: Fields and Challenges

In recent decades, regionalism and the creation of regional institutions to exploit the capacity of member states to achieve common goals and interests has become increasingly important.As we are witnessing the emergence and formation of various regional organizations and institutions in different parts of the world.In this regard, the various dimensions of the importance of the Indian Ocean region have led to the preservation and security of this region on the agenda of coastal states such as the Islamic Republic of Iran and, as a result, institutions for regional security.Among the institutions established to provide maritime security in the Indian Ocean region is the IONS, or Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.Given this, the main question of the research is based on the causes and areas of security convergence of IONS member countries and what challenges and limitations do these countries face in developing regional cooperation? The research method is analytical-explanatory and the theoretical approach of convergence has been used to explain the subject. The main hypothesis is based on the idea that a common understanding of regional issues, as well as common environmental and regional concerns, has paved the way for the convergence of countries and, ultimately, the establishment of IONS.