This book evaluates President Hassan Rouhani's foreign policy during his first two years in office, looking at the case studies of Armenia, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Turkey, and Syria, as well as the Iran-US relationship. President Rouhani came to power in Iran in 2013 promising to reform the country's long-contentious foreign policy. His top priorities were rehabilitating the Iranian economy, ending the nuclear dispute, rebuilding relations with the US, and mending ties with Iran's neighbors. It is argued here that while President Rouhani has made progress in the Iran-US relationship, in nuclear negotiations and some bilateral relationships, his broader success has been hampered by regional political developments and domestic competition. Further, it is contended that his future success will be guided by emerging regional tensions, including whether Iran's neighbors will accept the terms of the nuclear agreement.

1. Rouhani's first two years in office: Opportunities and risks in contemporary Iran; Shahram Akbarzadeh & Dara Conduit2. Iran and the changing regional strategic environment; Amin Saikal3. Iran's Janus-Faced US Policy: The Rouhani Administration between Continuity and Change, Opportunity and Constraint; Morgane Colleau4. Brothers or Comrades at Arms? Iran's relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan; James Barry5. The UAE and Iran: The different layers of a complex security issue; William Guéraiche6. How foreign is the Kurdish issue in Iranian foreign policy?; Costas Laoutides7. Mesopotamian nexus: Iran, Turkey and the Kurds; William Gourlay8. Charting a new course? Testing Rouhani's foreign policy agency in the Iran-Syria relationship; Shahram Akbarzadeh & Dara Conduit9. Bonyads as Agents and Vehicles of the Islamic Republic's Soft Power; William Bullock Jenkins10. Future Prospects; Shahram Akbarzadeh & Dara Conduit