Iran experienced a fruitful period during the time of Raisi as president and Amirabdolahian as foreign minister.
Following the helicopter accident that happened for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s foreign minister Amirabdolahian, and other accompanying officials on bord this Monday, a look at foreign policy achievements for Iran under Raisi’s presidency and Amirabdolahian’s ministry shows how effective the two had been when in office.
Since Raisi was ascent to presidency on August 3 2021, Iran has witnessed several shifts in its foreign policy pursuits and overall agenda. While many expected Ebrahim Raisi’s tenure to be marked by isolation and controversy, the Iranian president could skillfully navigate the complex world of international relations and pursue Iran’s best interests in a global scale.
With Amirabdolahian as foreign minister, Raisi could greatly improve Tehran’s global and regional standings. A significant achievement was the expedited reconciliation with regional adversary Saudi Arabia, which materialized in Beijing on March 10, 2023, with the support of Iraq and Oman.
While the exact advantages and details of the 2023 agreement are still being debated, the prompt reinstatement of embassies in Riyadh and Tehran represented a significant moment in regional diplomacy initiated by Iran.
A significant illustration of this new direction was the first-ever phone conversation between President Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman during the war on Gaza, indicating a transformative phase in Iran’s diplomatic relations. The 2023 deal restoring ties echoed Iran’s re-established connections with the UAE earlier in 2022 as well. The Saudi-Iran rapprochement has also opened avenues for dialogue with other regional nations like Bahrain and Egypt.
Iran, a stronger country at global scale under Raisi
But Iran’s diplomatic achievements were not confined only to improving ties with neighboring countries. It also contained establishing a stronger position in the global sphere. These enhancements are highlighted in Iran’s elevation to full membership within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2022, followed by an invitation to join the bloc formerly comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) in early 2024.
The exchange of prisoners between Iran and the United States, announced in August 2023 and implemented in September, along with the release of six billion dollars previously frozen in South Korea due to U.S. sanctions were among other diplomatic triumphs that Raisi and Amirabdolahian could get their hands on when in office.
Moreover, Iran’s response to the Gaza conflict positioned it as a regional player advocating for the containment of regional spillover, even amid its repeated warnings to Israel.
Last but not least, Iran also exported 141.7 million barrels of oil during the first quarter of 2024, a 28 percent increase over the same period last year. In March 2024, Iranian exports reached 1.82 million barrels per day, the highest rate since October 2018, just before the Trump administration reinstated oil sanctions.
