​Thursday, 18 September 2025, marked the second and final day of the Iranian Studies Unit Fifth Annual Conference “Iran and the Changing Strategic Landscape of the Middle East”. The second day looked at Iranian relations with regional non-state actors and the changing position of the “Axis of Resistance”, implications of Iran’s ballistic missile program, and Iran’s relations with the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), among other relevant topics.

The recordings of the conference can be found on the Arab Center YouTube channel. Through a collaborative curatorial effort, the ACRPS Iranian Studies Unit and Qatar Museums’ General Collection department have selected more than 30 photographs from the latter’s archives to explore the visual legacy of Iran’s royal history within the wider context of shifting regional politics. The exhibition is online, accessible through the following link: https://qm.org.qa/en/calendar/iran-and-the-changing-strategic-landscape-of-the-middle-east/.

The day began with the conference’s fourth panel, on “Iran-GCC Relations and Regional Diplomacy”, moderated by Emad Kaddorah. Gawdat Bahgat and Katherine Holden presented “The Thaw in Iran-GCC Relations and the Changing Regional Balance of Power,” in which they explored how the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and Israel/US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities have significantly changed the security landscape in the Middle East, especially how Iran-GCC relations are evolving in light of these military conflicts. In the second presentation, “Shifting Tides in the Gulf: Growing Diplomatic Engagements between Iran and the GCC States in a Changing Middle East,” Mehran Haghirian argued that while the GCC states may exhibit surface-level similarities in behaviour, their decision-making calculus toward Iran varies significantly, shaped by differing perceptions of threat, regime structures, and strategic interests. In the final paper of the panel, “The European Union’s Policies in the Gulf: Shaping Iran-Arab Relations Through Diplomacy and Power Dynamics” Roxana Niknami explained that by deepening its engagement with Arab Gulf states, the EU is subtly shifting the regional balance of power. This shift presents Iran with both opportunities for cooperation and strategic challenges. She framed her argument using a SWOT analysis.

The fifth panel, “Ideology and Resistance in Iran's Security Doctrine”, was moderated by Laila Omar. In his paper, “Resistance Ethos in Iran’s Strategic Culture: Qur’anic, Shi’i, and Constitutional Underpinnings,” Mohammad Homayounvash explained how Iran’s “resistance posture” upholds an ideationally grounded doctrine derived from Qur’anic injunctions, in specific denial of subjugation, Shi’i political theology, and constitutional mandates. For his part in “The Security Dilemma of Influence: Shi’i Transnationalism and the Limits of Iranian Foreign Policy,” Mohammad Kalantari argued that identity-affirming foreign policy routines now produce contradiction rather than coherence. In Iran, he explained, transnational resistance narratives increasingly clash with pluralistic, nationalist political cultures. These contradictions do not simply represent policy failures but reveal a deeper “ontological trap”, wherein efforts to stabilize identity through foreign policy generate chronic dissonance. Offering a new perspective to analyse the “12 Day War” between Iran and Israel, Ahmed Abozaid, in “Clash of ʿAṣabiyyāt: A Neo-Khaldunian Perspective on Iranian-Israeli Rivalry in the Post-October 2023 Israeli War on Gaza,” explained how the “Clash of ‘Asabiyyat” and political tribalism lens uncovers the competing worldviews and identity-driven narratives that drive a conflict. He further detailed that understanding these “‘asabiyyat/tribes” not only offers an explanation for divergent responses but also offers insight into how peace might be imagined differently by each.

Panel six, Sanctions, Security Competition, and Adaptation, was moderated by Mohammed Hemchi. Pınar Arıkan-Sinkaya and Bayram Sinkaya examined through their joint paper, “The Türkiye-Iran Rivalry over the New Syria: Preliminary Outcomes for Middle Eastern Geopolitics,” how recent developments in Syria have both intensified the Türkiye-Iran bilateral rivalry and positioned their relationship as a driving force in reshaping the geopolitical landscape of the region. In “Sanctions and Strategic Adaptation: Assessing Iran’s Military Power,” Zeinab Nikookar explored the effect of sanctions on Iran and while they have constrained Iran’s economy and international partnerships, they have incentivized Iran’s resilience. But, she pointed out, vulnerabilities persist due to proxy losses and limited ally support. As for his part, Kahlan Abdulaziz Al-Shugaa, in “Iranian Influence in the Bab al-Mandeb: Geopolitical Tools and the Implications of Regional Changes,” claimed that Iran has increasingly banked on the Bab al-Mandeb in Yemen – through the Houthis and armed groups in the Horn of Africa – as one of its last remaining tools in the balance of conflict after its setbacks in Lebanon and Syria. He further noted in the future we may witness the gradual collapse of these proxy groups due to military strikes, the closure of smuggling routes, and popular pressure and hence “paving the way for the restoration of the role of the nation-state”.

The seventh panel “Military Capabilities and Emerging Security Frontiers” was moderated by Abdou Moussa, and it tapped into Iran’s ballistic missile and its cyber role in the region. In her presentation under the title “Implications of Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Drone Program on the Regional Security Apparatus of the Middle East,” Sobia Khursheed argued that Iran has effectively developed and deployed sophisticated ballistic missiles and drone technologies as a cornerstone of its warfare strategy in the Middle East, a region marked by a zero-sum security order, historical rivalries, and a trust deficit. Kardo Rached presented on his joint paper with Kawsar Fattahi, titled “Iranian Foreign Policy in the Middle East: The KRG as a Case Study”. Rached examined Iran’s foreign policy especially in Iraqi Kurdistan and argued that it functions as part of its broader regional doctrine. Tehran’s strategies, he argued, often rely on asymmetric warfare, including the use of militias, intelligence operations, and economic influence, to achieve these three objectives. Khalifa Ahmed Al Kuwari in his presentation “Iran’s Cyber Role in Regional Conflicts: Analysing Iranian Cyberspace Strategies and Their Impact on Regional Dynamics” argued that Iran exploits legal ambiguity in cyberspace to execute asymmetric offensive operations that compensate for its traditional military weaknesses.

The eighth and final panel of the conference, titled “Non-State Actors and Iran’s Regional Strategy”, was moderated by Mehran Kamrava. Jawad El Kassemi presented on “Iran’s Proxies: A Comparative Study of Empowerment and Deployment Strategies Between Hezbollah and the Houthis”, arguing that Tehran uses a dual strategy approach in which it forges a long-term “organic partnership” with Hezbollah, with the aim of building a comprehensive strategic deterrent. In contrast, he continued, it adopts a tactical “pragmatic alliance” with the Houthis to exploit geopolitical opportunities and “exhaust regional rivals.” Ebrahim Meraji, in his presentation “Neoclassical Realism and Iran's Proxy Strategy: A Cost-Benefit Analysis” claimed that while ideological and security factors favour continued proxy support, evolving geopolitical and economic realities may compel Tehran to recalibrate its strategic approach.

Closing the conference, Kamrava thanked the participating researchers, attendees, and organizers of the conference. He provided a summary of the main findings of the presentations at the conference, highlighting the main theme of the conference, Iranian foreign and security policy in relation to its immediate environment and the rest of the Middle East.