Inside Iran’s foreign policy.
Islamic Republic of Iran
Asia · UN voting record, treaty positions, and alliances — every claim primary-sourced.
In short
Iran is a revisionist middle power whose foreign policy is set less by its elected president than by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the national security institutions around them; President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in July 2024 after winning the snap presidential election, but the constitutional system leaves ultimate authority over defense, regional policy, and strategic questions with the Supreme Leader and bodies under his influence [Iranian Constitution, English translation](https://www. constituteproject.
Capital
TehranGovernment
Theocratic presidentia…Iran's government & politics
Leadership, governance, and democratic trajectory.
Head of state
Mojtaba Khamenei
Head of State
Iran's UN voting record
How Iran votes at the UN General Assembly — ideological trajectory, voting partners, topic patterns, and key recent roll calls.
Ideological trajectory
Top voting partners
Topic-level voting
Source: Erik Voeten, “United Nations General Assembly Voting Data”, Harvard Dataverse (CC0). Aggregated by Model Diplomat. Last refresh tracked in profile freshness.
Iran's foreign policy
Bilateral posture, key relationships, and live diplomatic statements.
Foreign Policy
Iran’s foreign policy is set less by the elected presidency than by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose constitutional powers include command of the armed forces, appointment of key security officials, and final authority over major state policy; President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected in July 2024, runs the government but does not control the strategic file when it conflicts with the Leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the Supreme National Security Council Constitute Project, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran Encyclopaedia Britannica, Masoud Pezeshkian Iran Primer, Supreme National Security Council. The stated doctrine is “Neither East nor West,” strategic independence, support for the “Axis of Resistance,” and rejection of foreign domination, but in practice Iran’s interests are ordered more tightly: regime survival comes first, then deterrence against the United States and Israel, then sanctions relief and export access, then status as a leading anti-Western power in West Asia and the wider Global South Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN Iran Primer, Iran’s Foreign Policy under Khamenei U.S. Institute of Peace, Iran’s Strategic Culture. That hierarchy explains why Tehran will absorb economic damage that would be irrational in a purely commercial model but acceptable in a regime-security model.
Iran’s core external instruments are asymmetric. It fields conventional armed forces and the IRGC, but its most important leverage comes from missile and drone programs, proxy and partner networks in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and the Palestinian arena, and its ability to threaten shipping and energy flows in and around the Strait of Hormuz IISS, Military Balance 2024 CSIS, Iran’s Missile Forces EIA, World Oil Transit Chokepoints. Tehran presents these tools as forward defense; its behavior shows they are also insurance against direct attack and coercive diplomacy under sanctions International Crisis Group, Iran’s Hard Choices after Gaza USIP, What Drives Iran’s Regional Strategy. On the nuclear file, Iran continues to frame its program as peaceful and treaty-bound under the NPT while expanding enrichment and restricting some monitoring after the breakdown of the JCPOA implementation cycle, creating the central gap between declared position and observed behavior IAEA, Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran UNSC Resolution 2231. That gap is the key fact every delegate should keep in view: Iran uses legal language and incremental technical escalation together, not separately.
Iran’s bilateral map is pragmatic rather than truly allied. Russia is a strategic partner on sanctions resistance, Syria, and anti-U.S. balancing, and the relationship deepened after extensive defense cooperation and reported Iranian drone transfers linked to the war in Ukraine, but it is still transactional: Moscow and Tehran cooperate where interests overlap and compete quietly in energy markets and influence corridors Reuters, Russia and Iran deepen ties Carnegie Endowment, Russia-Iran Relations U.S. Treasury, Iran-related sanctions designations. China is even more important economically because it remains Iran’s main oil customer under sanctions pressure and signed a 25-year cooperation framework, yet Beijing avoids becoming Iran’s security patron and has simultaneously improved ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states Reuters, China remains top buyer of Iranian oil Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, China-Iran Comprehensive Cooperation Plan Council on Foreign Relations, China’s Middle East Positioning. In the Arab world, Iraq is Iran’s most important neighboring arena because it combines trade, shrine networks, militia influence, and a land bridge to Syria and Lebanon; Syria remains essential for access to Hezbollah; ties with Saudi Arabia improved after the 2023 China-brokered normalization, but rivalry did not disappear and remains constrained by Yemen, Gulf security, and competing regional order projects Reuters, Iran and Saudi Arabia restore ties World Bank, Iraq-Iran trade context Brookings, Iran’s Influence in Iraq.
Multilaterally, Iran uses forums less to bind itself than to dilute isolation. It is active in the UN, OIC, NAM, and OPEC, and it became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2023, which Tehran advertised as proof that sanctions had failed to isolate it SCO, Iran becomes full member OPEC, Islamic Republic of Iran facts and figures United Nations Member States, Iran. At the UN General Assembly, Iran usually aligns with Russia, China, and much of the Non-Aligned and OIC blocs on anti-sanctions resolutions, Palestinian self-determination, and sovereignty language, but it diverges from parts of that same Global South on Ukraine because Tehran is not merely rhetorically anti-Western; it is materially implicated on the Russian side of the war, which narrows its room for “non-aligned” positioning UN Digital Library UNGA voting [blocked]
Iran's treaties & memberships
UN multilateral treaty positions and IGO memberships.
International Organizations
Society & economy
Macro-economic snapshot and demographic context.
GDP (nominal)
$475.3B
#33/250GDP per capita
$5,190.17
#132/250Currency
—
HDI
0.77
#78/250GDP (nominal USD)
GDP per capita (USD)
Top trading partners
In the news
Stories surfacing across Iran’s authoritative outlets, plus headline events and the diplomatic calendar.
Headlines
US and Iran Exchange Strikes Across the Gulf
The fragile US-Iran ceasefire cracked wide open overnight with strikes exchanged across the Gulf, raising concerns over escalating tensions.
US-Iran Peace Memorandum Closer
Despite ongoing strikes, US and Iran are reportedly nearing a peace memorandum to formally end the war, complicating the diplomatic landscape.
IAEA Board Drafts Iran Inspection Resolution
The IAEA calls on Iran to allow inspections as tensions rise, with a draft resolution expected to be voted on this week amid geopolitical concerns.
Explore Iran in depth
Frequently asked questions about Iran
Quick answers to the most common questions about Iran.
What type of government does Iran have?
Iran is governed as a theocratic presidential republic, with its capital at Tehran.
Who is the head of state of Iran?
Mojtaba Khamenei is the head of state of Iran, in office since 2026-03-08.
Who leads the government of Iran?
Masoud Pezeshkian serves as the head of government of Iran, since 2024-07-28.
What is the population of Iran?
Iran has a population of approximately 91.6 million people, making it the 17th most populous country.
What is the economy of Iran like?
Iran has a nominal GDP of about $475 billion, or roughly $5,190 per capita.
What languages are spoken in Iran?
The official language of Iran is Persian (Farsi).
When did Iran join the United Nations?
Iran has been a member of the United Nations since 1945.
Who are Iran's closest allies?
Iran's key allies include Russia, China, Syria, and Iraq.
More about Iran
Iran is a revisionist middle power whose foreign policy is set less by its elected president than by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the national security institutions around them; President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in July 2024 after winning the snap presidential election, but the constitutional system leaves ultimate authority over defense, regional policy, and strategic questions with the Supreme Leader and bodies under his influence [Iranian Constitution, English translation](https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_1989.pdf?lang=en) [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-moderate-pezeshkian-wins-runoff-presidential-election-state-media-says-2024-07-06/) [Encyclopaedia Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/place/Iran/The-structure-of-government). Politically, Iran is a theocratic republic with elected institutions constrained by clerical oversight, especially the Supreme Leader and Guardian Council, which vets candidates and can narrow the field before voters ever cast ballots [Iranian Constitution, English translation](https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iran_1989.pdf?lang=en) [Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/iran/freedom-world/2024). The current government is formally headed by Pezeshkian, and his cabinet includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was approved by parliament in August 2024; the administration is usually described as reformist-leaning or pragmatic, but it operates inside a system still dominated by conservative clerical and security centers of power [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-parliament-approves-pezeshkians-cabinet-state-media-reports-2024-08-21/) [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-president-elect-pezeshkian-vows-balance-relations-with-all-countries-2024-07-08/). In practice, no Iranian government can make durable foreign-policy changes without assent from Khamenei and the security establishment, which is why Tehran can signal tactical flexibility on diplomacy while holding firm on deterrence, missile development, and support for regional armed partners [International Crisis Group](https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/iran) [Council on Foreign Relations](https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/irans-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps). Iran’s place in the world today is defined by isolation from the United States and much of Europe, growing alignment with Russia and China, and a strategy of building leverage through regional networks and strategic geography rather than through conventional economic weight alone [U.S. Department of State](https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-iran/) [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China](https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202303/t20230311_11039201.html) [President of Russia](http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73531). Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2023, has deepened military and political coordination with Moscow, and treats its partnerships with China and Russia as insurance against Western pressure, even while neither partner offers a full substitute for access to Western finance and technology [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation](https://eng.sectsco.org/news/20230704/904683.html) [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/iran-becomes-full-member-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-2023-07-04/) [Atlantic Council](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-growing-russia-iran-alliance/). Its regional posture remains shaped by deterrence against Israel and the United States, influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, and the constant importance of the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz to its security calculus [CSIS](https://www.csis.org/analysis/iran-and-axis-resistance) [U.S. Energy Information Administration](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/IRN). Economically, Iran is a large but constrained hydrocarbon state. The World Bank estimated GDP at about $401 billion in current U.S. dollars in 2023, while oil, gas, petrochemicals, metals, and a sizable domestic market remain the backbone of the economy [World Bank](https://data.worldbank.org/country/iran-islamic-rep) [U.S. Energy Information Administration](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/IRN). Iran holds some of the world’s largest proved oil and natural gas reserves, but U.S. sanctions, banking restrictions, and chronic underinvestment have limited export revenue, weakened the currency, and pushed Tehran toward sanctions-evasion networks and deeper trade with Asian buyers, especially China [U.S. Energy Information Administration](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/IRN) [OFAC, U.S. Treasury](https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/iran-sanctions) [IMF](https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/IRN). Inflation, unemployment, and fiscal stress matter in foreign policy because they make sanctions relief and export access economically valuable, but regime survival still outranks economic normalization when the two collide [World Bank](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/iran/overview) [International Crisis Group](https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/iran). Three issues define Iran’s current trajectory. First is the nuclear file: Tehran insists its program is peaceful, but the IAEA has repeatedly reported high-level uranium enrichment and unresolved safeguards issues, making the nuclear program the central driver of sanctions risk and crisis diplomacy [IAEA Board of Governors report GOV/2024/29](https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/24/05/gov2024-29.pdf) [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iaea-iran-report-2024-05-27/). Second is regional deterrence and proxy warfare: Iran continues to rely on missiles, drones, and aligned non-state partners as cost-effective tools to deter stronger adversaries and project influence below the threshold of direct full-scale war [CFR](https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/irans-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps) [CSIS](https://www.csis.org/analysis/iran-and-axis-resistance). Third is domestic legitimacy. Low turnout in recent elections