Iran's geopolitical opportunities under USA sanctions

The authors discuss the possibilities of economic and international relationships of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in the context of sanctions and other restrictive measures by the United States. The authors rely on the theoretical concept of “soft power” by Joseph Nye. Special attention is payed to finding out the potential geopolitical steps for Iran to overcome the economic crisis and international isolation. Among the factors considered, the economic and resource indicators of the IRI, possible interstate trade projects, and other important indicators are analyzed. The peculiarities of interaction between Iran and China are separately revealed. Having considered the current state of affairs in the Middle East region and the directions of Iran's cooperation, the authors predicted several acceptable options for the development of Iran: “hard”, “commercial”, and “cultural”.