Evaluation of Türkiye-Iran relations from a neorealist perspective in the period 2012-2022

Türkiye and Iran are the two major and important powers of the Middle East. Türkiye and Iran, the oldest border neighbors, maintain their importance in political and economic terms in every period of history with their geopolitical locations, historical origins and identity structures. Considering the factors they have, it is seen that these two regional powers are in a central position in the context of international relations. The crises that emerged with the Arab Spring process in the Middle East have directly affected the relations between Türkiye and Iran. With the spread of the popular movements, which are described as the Arab Spring in the relations between the two countries, to Syria, new areas of competition have emerged. The end of Arab Spring did not end the problems in the region, and it significantly affected the course of relations between Türkiye and Iran in the next period. In this context, it has been emphasized that one of the factors that have brought Iran and Turkey closer together is the security factor. It is concluded that the foreign policy that emerged depending on the factors in the relations between the two countries can be analyzed within the framework of the assumptions of neorealism.