Iranian Foreign Policy and Security in the Persian Gulf
Professor Hossein Seifzadeh Department of Political Science Tehran University, Iran
Organised by: Associate Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh
Date:1 February 2005
Prof Seifzadeh is an acknowledged international expert on security issues in the Persian Gulf and Iranian foreign affairs. He has authored 11 books and many articles on Iranian politics and society.
Prof Seifzadeh explored the gradual evolution of foreign policy in Iran since the formation of the Islamic Republic in 1979. He argued that this shift will have significant repercussions for relations between Iran and the United States, which have become further complicated since the 2003 war in Iraq.
Prof Seifzadeh spoke of the pressures to balance the competing interests of moderate and conservative forces in Iranian foreign policy. He argued that the protrayal of Iran as a destabilising regional influence was incorrect and that this portrayal suited the aims of "hawkish" elements of the Americal political system. He contended that current Iranian polity is in fact pragmatically pluralist and not driven by religious conservatism.
Prof Seifzadeh fielded lively questioning from the audience after the lecture, interested in exploring topics such as Iran's support for Hezbollah and the likely future of Iranian relations with Iraq.
Professor Zeifzadeh talking with Monash Iranian students after the lecture