Turkey and Iran: Preserving a lucrative partnership

Gulf Analysis (European Council on Foreign Relations) December 2014, pp. 16-19
Post-Nuclear: The future for Iran in its neighbourhood (Fatima Ayub)

Ziya Meral *

Turkey and Iran have once again found themselves facing parallel challenges in the form of the group that calls itself Islamic State (here ISIS) and its implications for both countries’ security policies as well as interests in Syria and Iraq. These developments have led to some suggestions that Turkey and Iran could explore and co-operate on areas of mutual interest closely. In fact, there has been a renewed push from both countries after President Hassan Rouhani’s electoral victory to repair the damage caused in the later years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, amid the acute reminders about the urgency of instating a working relationship.

* Ziya Meral is a London-based researcher focused on Turkish and Middle Eastern affairs, religion, and human rights, and is a PhD candidate in Politics at the University of Cambridge. Follow him on Twitter at @Ziya_Meral.

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