Comment by dismalaf
2 days ago
So why does Iran have bad relations with most of their neighbours? Why does Iran support terrorism against countries that aren't the US?
Did the US make Iran oppress women and minorities? Everytime Iran executes people who oppose the regime, is it because the US made them do it?
I don't know the answer to your question, but it struck me that we can ask exactly the same question about the US today.
To be fair, nearly all superpowers and regional powers in the world currently have poor relations with their neighbors lol.
USA? Check (the new entrant). China? Check. Russia? Check. India? Check. Japan? Check (too few neighbors though) Iran? Check. Israel? Check. EU? Check. Saudi Arabia? An exception. Brazil? Another exception. UK? Check. (lol)
Because Iran is Shia and the rest of its neighbours are ruled by Sunnis. Some even have majority Shia populations that can be restive under a Sunni autocrat.
Even then, Iran still has strong ties with all of those neighbors. They trade actively, US sanctions be damned, and would pounce at the opportunity to invest in Iran if given the opportunity (Iran's industries are basically all owned by the Ayatollah and IRGC currently).