The Role of the Arbaeen Procession in Public Diplomacy of Iran

This research aims to investigate the role of the Arbaeen procession in strengthening the public diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region and the international system. The study, with an applied goal and a descriptive-analytical nature, suggests that the Arbaeen procession, with elements such as promoting a culture of resistance and anti-arrogance, strengthening Islamic unity, and globalizing the geopolitical significance of Shiism, contributes to enhancing soft power. Consequently, it strengthens the public diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Islamic world and the international system. The research findings emphasize the redirection of Iran's foreign policy and value-oriented relations with Islamic countries, particularly in the surrounding environment, especially in Iraq, concerning the specific phenomenon of Arbaeen. Given that the necessary conditions and foundations for strengthening the discourse of the Shiite Crescent are provided through rituals such as the Arbaeen procession and the culture of pilgrimage, considering the global reception in the Islamic world, theoretical conclusions suggest incorporating Arbaeen-like rituals into the theoretical framework of diffusion by researchers in Arbaeen studies.