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Iran cannot guarantee the security of its northern borders.
Iran lost a C-130 transport aircraft in February 1994, shot down in error by
Armenian forces who thought the Moscow-Tehran flight was engaged in a spying
mission. Iran has expressed intense concern at the possible spill-over of the
Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict.
According to Washington, the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is the one which
causes it most concern. It has been reported that North Korea has been paid US
$600 million by Iran for the further development of the Nodong missile, in order to
deliver a nuclear or chemical warhead capability. These allegations have been
made but never proved, however. Whether or not they are true, Washington is
likely to keep up the pressure on Iran.
International Affairs
Publication Sentinel - The Gulf States
Country
Iran
Date 1995 Dec 20
Section International Affairs
Since the overthrow of the Shah and the creation of the Islamic Republic there
has been considerable concern in the West and in moderate Arab states that Iran
is spreading Islamic fundamentalism throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Iran has developed close contacts with Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, North Korea
and Sudan. Tehran vies with Turkey for influence in the Central Asian Republics of
the former Soviet Union. It has been accused of supporting terrorist groups active
in Lebanon, Israel, Northern Ireland and Egypt.
Iran’s international image is one of subversion and interference in the internal
affairs of neighbouring nations. Some of the more conservative countries in the
Middle East and North Africa view Iran’s foreign policy as one of fomenting revolu-
tion, of de-stabilising Muslim countries and of exporting terrorism.
Alliances & Alignments
Iran is a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and considers
itself non-aligned. Its foreign policy during the Cold War was based on condemn-
ing both the USA and the USSR. Relations with Russia have been closer than
with America and Tehran now seeks to use its military ties with Russia to counter-
balance American pressure. Iran has developed cordial ties with China and North
Korea as a result of the willingness of the two communist states to supply it with
sophisticated arms, such as ballistic missiles.
US officials claim that:
♦ Iran funds and trains Hamas, Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad;
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