page_title: Foreign relations of Iran
section_title: Americas
hierarchical_section_title: Foreign relations of Iran / Foreign relations by country / Americas
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif as they arrive at a meeting room in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 30, 2015, for the latest round in the P5+1 negotiations about the future of Iran's nuclear program. [State Department Photo/ Public Domain]
context_page_description: Foreign Relations of Iran refers to inter-governmental relationships between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other countries. Geography is a very significant factor in informing Iran's foreign policy. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the newly born Islamic Republic, under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini, dramatically reversed the pro-American foreign policy of the last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Since then the country's policies have oscillated between the two opposing tendencies of revolutionary ardour, which would eliminate Western and non-Muslim influences while promoting the Islamic revolution abroad, and pragmatism, which would advance economic development and normalization of relations. Iran's bilateral dealings are accordingly sometimes confused and contradictory.
  Iran currently maintains full diplomatic relations with 97 countries worldwide. According to data published by the Reputation Institute, Iran is the world's second most hated country, just ahead of Iraq, and has held that position for the three consecutive years of 2016, 2017, and 2018. Islamism and nuclear proliferation are recurring issues with Iran's foreign relations.
context_section_description: Trade between Iran and Brazil quadrupled between 2002 and 2007, and it will further increase as much as fivefold, from $2 billion to $10 billion annually. In addition to Brazil, Iran has signed dozens of economic agreements with Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador and Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, Iran and Venezuela have agreed to invest $350 million in building a deepwater seaport off the Caribbean coast, in addition to a cross-country system of pipelines, rails and highways. Iranian firms are also planning to build two cement factories in Bolivia. Other developments include the agreement reached with Ecuador to build a cement factory as well as several other industrial cooperation MoUs (2008). In the four years after Ahmadinejad ascended to the Iranian presidency in 2005, Iran opened six new embassies in Latin America.  The new embassies are located in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Uruguay - in addition to the five already in operation in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela.
caption: Former US Secretary of State, John Kerry with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Switzerland, 2015.
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