Since the rise to power of tough Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, he has announced that his government will focus on building a "balanced foreign policy" that will prioritize the development and strengthening of alliances with Asian neighbors.
Immediately after his appointment in August, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdulhian said in a Twitter tweet: "I have decided to pursue a balanced, effective and smart foreign policy based on principles of pride, wisdom and interest. The priority is for our neighbors ?nd the Asian continent."
But Asia Times magazine correspondent Korosh Zibri wrote in an analytical article in Foreign Policy magazine that this vision is a fantasy, because Iran has no tangible plan of action in reality to achieve this, in his opinion.
Zibari noted that Tehran does not currently have the resources to revive diplomacy with its neighbors and reset its status in Asia as a necessary player.
He explained that Tehran does not have any diplomatic representation in large or small countries in Asia such as Bhutan, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, the Maldives, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal and Singapore, and these countries do not have diplomats in Tehran.
To make matters worse, Zibri stressed that since 2016, Iran has no diplomatic representation in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which are its neighbors.
The Islamic Republic also relies on non-resident delegations to facilitate relations with some of these countries, such as a non-resident embassy in Nepal stationed in New Delhi.
The article argues that although the absence of embassies does not necessarily mean the complete absence of diplomatic relations, it does indicate the size of the Iranian diplomatic network, its priorities and its desire to put its money in the right place.
He noted that Iranian attempts to "focus on Asia" are usually translated into improving trade, security and political involvement with China, rather than diversified cooperation with Asia.
Some of the most pessimistic foreign policy experts have described China's treatment of Iran as de facto colonialism. Beijing receives a discount on Iranian oil below the Middle East threshold and does not pay in cash, but replaces it with cheap and high-quality products.
As for India, it walked away in silence following the US withdrawal from the Joint Action Plan (JCPOA) in May 2018, and the re-imposition of sanctions caused New Delhi to stop buying Iranian oil despite the historic partnership between them.
Its friendly relations with South Korea have also become hostile amid a nearly $ 7 billion dispute over frozen Iranian assets, which Seoul has refused to return to Tehran due to US sanctions.
The situation is no better with Japan. In 2017, during the peak of JCPOA implementation, bilateral trade totaled more than $ 4 billion, but in 2019 it dropped to just over $ 1 billion.
When it comes to rebuilding relations with its Arab neighbors, Iran is also facing a plethora of geopolitical, ideological and security disagreements.
The author of the article stressed that if Iran is determined to start a new era of alliances in Asia, it can not rely only on China.
He noted that any cooperation would depend to a large extent on reaching an agreement with the US on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and lifting US sanctions.