The following article by Stephan Ossekopp will appear in the next issue of EIR.
For decades, the West has subjected Iran to devastating sanctions and vilified it as its greatest adversary and a rogue state. Currently, Israel and the U.S.A., in particular, are attempting to destroy the country through horrific warfare. This barbarity can hardly be adequately explained solely by motives such as controlling oil, raw materials, or preventing nuclear enrichment, or even the alleged “democratic liberation” of the country. There must be deeper and more comprehensive reasons for these continuous efforts to destroy or control Iran’s infrastructure and institutions. One must look at Iran’s strategic and geographical position, its significance as a long-term partner of China and Russia, its alignment with the BRICS and a “multipolar” order of the Global South—and, not least, its longstanding culture and civilization. The BRICS countries, which Iran joined in 2024, are explicitly aiming to establish a new international order for collective security and development, as well as a trade and financial system from which all nations benefit. From the perspective of the global hegemonic power, i.e., the Anglo-American elite, Iran represents an obstacle on the path to greater global control—especially if one wants to directly undermine the core interests of Russia and China.
Despite longstanding externally imposed violence and sanctions, Iran’s population has grown from slightly over 15 million in 1950 to 90 million today. Life expectancy has also risen during the same period, from below 40 years to well over 80. The proportion of industrial jobs is relatively high at 35%. Without relying on Western technological aid, Iran has become a major producer and consumer of natural gas. There has also been a significant increase in oil production and refining capacity. Exports of oil and oil products through the Strait of Hormuz go one-third to China; another third to India, South Korea, and Japan; and 15% to other Asian countries. Thus, contrary to all attempts at containment, Iran has become one of the world’s leading exporters of energy resources. The intended complete dismemberment of the country has therefore largely failed in this respect, however brutal the methods employed so far may have been.
Iran as a Crossroads
Iran’s geographical location makes it a crucial crossroads: On the one hand, there are land connections to the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, as well as to Europe via Türkiye; on the other hand, there are connections to Pakistan, India, and via Afghanistan to China, and via Turkmenistan to Central Asia. Since Iran is bordered to the north by the Caspian Sea and to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, it must be traversed to establish efficient freight transport from west to east and vice versa. Indeed, just weeks before the recent U.S.-Israeli attacks, the Iranian Minister of Railways visited the Afghan capital, Kabul, to discuss precisely this optimal Silk Road connection among Iran, Afghanistan, and China. This southern branch of the Eurasian Land-Bridge, or the New Silk Road, would give Iran a key position in the development of Eurasian infrastructure corridors and provide it with all the advantages of a hub for global land and sea trade. Iranian companies would become sought-after investment targets within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Iran joined this project in 2018 through a memorandum of understanding.
On the other hand, Iran, via the Caucasus, represents Russia’s most direct connection to the southern seas. Iran possesses a number of ports, such as Bandar Abbas and Chabahar, through which the populous and growth-oriented countries of India and the ASEAN states in Southeast Asia can be reached. Russia is investing billions and providing loans to Iran to expand this freight corridor. Most recently, India also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a terminal at the port of Chabahar. This transportation route, called the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), is Russia’s most important strategic initiative for redirecting freight traffic, formerly directed towards Europe, to Asia. Russia is seeking new markets, having temporarily suspended trade and political relations with its formerly most important European partners. Instead, Russia is now pursuing the Greater Eurasian Partnership, which aims to link all civilizations and regional organizations of the Eurasian continent into a major cooperative project. Iran is explicitly named as one of the cornerstones of this concept.
Russia-China Partnership
