On one topic, there has never been a difference between Iran under the Shah, Reza Pahlevi, and the Islamic Republic led by his enemies and successors. Regardless of regime and under whatever name, Persia was always proud of its pedigree as a power in a key region. It strove for dominance in the Gulf and competed with Iraq. When militarily strong nations emerged, such as Nasser’s Egypt in the 1960’s and against it Israel, Iran navigated around its interests so as to exploit potential alliances. Of course, its Nuclear ambitions gave it extra impetus. Now, however, Tehran’s geo-strategic position has seemingly been upgraded, with Russia’s problems in its Ukraine adventure forcing it to turn to Iran for help. Will this mark a permanent change in Iran’s status, along with its acceptance into BRICS, the grouping of non-Western nations?
To analyze it, we are joined by Dr. Eyal Hulata, Former Israeli National Security Adviser & Mossad Division Chief, and TV7 Editor At Large: Amir Oren.
