The Ascendance of Iran: A Study of the Emergence of an Assertive Iranian Foreign Policy and Its Impact on Iranian-Soviet Relations

摘要

In the wake of the British withdrawal from the Persian Gulf and the third Indo-Pakistani war, Iran's leadership revised its foreign policy with the intent both of succeeding Britain as the policeman of the Persian Gulf as well as committing the country to a more active role in regional affairs. Iran's Dhofar expedition in 1973 and support for the Kurdish rebellion in Iraq in 1974 posed a challenge to Soviet interests in the region. Soviet concern was exacerbated further by the scope of Iran's post-74 arms purchases, by the success of its petro-dollar campaign to reduce Soviet influence on the subcontinent and in the Horn of Africa, and by Sino-Persian support for Muslim Insurgents in Afghanistan. When the Iranian revolution erupted in 1978, Moscow was initially content to remain on the sidelines. The Kremlin is now actively attempting to improve its ties with the Iranian left, however, in the hope of influencing the policies of a post-Khomeni government. (Author)