57
Russia. So when the United States launched the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, aimed at
extracting Iran from Russia from the regional equation, Putin described it as a political and economic failure on the part of Russia (Hasan Khani and Karimi Pour
2012:35). The United States is now an active partner in several countries of the
region and has become a major trading partner (Hasan Khani and Karimi Pour
2012:35).
Iran
Iran’s geography and expansive oil and gas reserves give it a unique position in
regional security. Iran has had to give pride of place to attracting investment for
infrastructure in order to realize the potential this offers, however. Such infrastructural goals do not, of course, leave out projected pipeline projects, and—in regard to
Caspian Basin energy supplies particularly—a route across Iran represents the simplest and most feasible means of opening supplies to foreign markets via the country’s Gulf ports. Until recently however due to sanctions, Iran was unable to realize
such ambitions, and Western oil companies which have been otherwise active in
Caspian energy resources have thus been unable to make the most of their investments (Heinrich and Pleines 2015:109).
Iran’s Regional Policy
Ahead of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea was simply divided
between Iran and the USSR. The Union’s collapse thus provided Iran with a historical opportunity to try to gain more from its position on the shores of the Caspian.
With the Soviets possessing vastly more of the sea, not to mention the political
strength to assert their dominance, up until this point, the Caspian had assumed
marginal importance in Iranian affairs. Iran’s geographical position, similarly, was
not as advantageous as it may seem on the map, as the southern coast of the Caspian
is marked by oddly shaped beaches, deep coastal shelves, and unfavorable currents.
These conditions meant that even had the political will or resources been present,
technical factors were at play which meant that dreams of developing an oil and gas
polity in the Caspian were fanciful at best (Ahmadi Pour and Lashkari 2010:8).
However, post the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the creation of several new
independent states in the region, Iran became the center of attention to Central Asian
and Caucasus diplomacy, for the simple reason that most countries in the Caucasus
and Central Asia are landlocked. Every country who wished to boost relations with
Central Asia and the Caucasus thus had no choice but to consider the various transport routes through Iran, Russia, Turkey, China, and Afghanistan. Similarly, the
Caucasus and Central Asian states depended on links with Iran in order to access the
global economy. Iran’s geographical position has thus benefited various sectors of
Iran
Russia. So when the United States launched the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, aimed at
extracting Iran from Russia from the regional equation, Putin described it as a political and economic failure on the part of Russia (Hasan Khani and Karimi Pour
2012:35). The United States is now an active partner in several countries of the
region and has become a major trading partner (Hasan Khani and Karimi Pour
2012:35).
Iran
Iran’s geography and expansive oil and gas reserves give it a unique position in
regional security. Iran has had to give pride of place to attracting investment for
infrastructure in order to realize the potential this offers, however. Such infrastructural goals do not, of course, leave out projected pipeline projects, and—in regard to
Caspian Basin energy supplies particularly—a route across Iran represents the simplest and most feasible means of opening supplies to foreign markets via the country’s Gulf ports. Until recently however due to sanctions, Iran was unable to realize
such ambitions, and Western oil companies which have been otherwise active in
Caspian energy resources have thus been unable to make the most of their investments (Heinrich and Pleines 2015:109).
Iran’s Regional Policy
Ahead of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea was simply divided
between Iran and the USSR. The Union’s collapse thus provided Iran with a historical opportunity to try to gain more from its position on the shores of the Caspian.
With the Soviets possessing vastly more of the sea, not to mention the political
strength to assert their dominance, up until this point, the Caspian had assumed
marginal importance in Iranian affairs. Iran’s geographical position, similarly, was
not as advantageous as it may seem on the map, as the southern coast of the Caspian
is marked by oddly shaped beaches, deep coastal shelves, and unfavorable currents.
These conditions meant that even had the political will or resources been present,
technical factors were at play which meant that dreams of developing an oil and gas
polity in the Caspian were fanciful at best (Ahmadi Pour and Lashkari 2010:8).
However, post the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the creation of several new
independent states in the region, Iran became the center of attention to Central Asian
and Caucasus diplomacy, for the simple reason that most countries in the Caucasus
and Central Asia are landlocked. Every country who wished to boost relations with
Central Asia and the Caucasus thus had no choice but to consider the various transport routes through Iran, Russia, Turkey, China, and Afghanistan. Similarly, the
Caucasus and Central Asian states depended on links with Iran in order to access the
global economy. Iran’s geographical position has thus benefited various sectors of
Iran