Strategic or tactical partners: A case study exploring relations between Russia and Iran from 1980 to 2010

This research analyses the relationship between Russia and Iran for the past thirty years. The main question of this study is whether Russia and Iran have been strategic or tactical partners during this critical period. The answer to this question is essential for understanding the geopolitical future of the wider Middle East and Central Asia region and US role there. An alliance between Russia and Iran and their possible collaboration on Iran's nuclear program would create a major problem for the United States and its allies in the region. This thesis is based on historical analysis and case study methods. Major policy papers, articles, and books on Russia-Iran collaboration were used for this research. The analysis shows that the partnership between Iran and Russia has been driven by the geopolitical balance of power. Both countries wanted to balance the influence of the United States and its allies in the region. The paper analyses the history of collaboration between two countries in the nuclear field, in the economic and in the energy development, as well as in the political collaboration in Central Asia. The research concludes that Russia and Iran have been tactical partners, not strategic ones. Additionally, the research predicts Russia's shift toward greater collaboration with the United States and NATO in the near future.