ایران و کریدورهای ترانزیتی اوراسیا؛ رویای موقعیت یا واقعیت های ژئوپلتیکی

ABSTRACT
The competition of the countries of the world in being placed in the routes and corridors of commercial and energy exchanges is of increasing importance in the geopolitical relations of international actors at the global and regional levels. Iran's focal and central role in the connection between the countries located in the two important continents of Asia and Europe and the application of the heartland corridor of the world faces many challenges and obstacles in the national, regional, and global dimensions. Based on this, the study aims to examine Iran's internal challenges and issues on the path of international corridors, as well as regional and international geopolitical and geostrategic obstacles facing Iran in this connection. The study method is based on description and analysis. The findings of the research are focused on three sections as the status and performance of corridor points and networks inside the country, international and regional corridors passing through Iran, and finally, international and regional corridors outside Iran. The results show that the condition and performance of corridor points and networks inside the country are not in good condition due to infrastructure, regulations, security, and logistics issues and are far from the predicted vision. The performance of the international and regional corridors passing through Iran is unacceptable due to the close relationship with the infrastructure conditions, regulations, security, and logistics of the transit networks inside the country. The competition of world powers with each other (Europe, China, Russia, America) and regional powers (Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Turkey) in order to seize geo-economic, geopolitical, and geostrategic opportunities has caused the loss of opportunities and weakened the views of Iran's corridor in this sector.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
High transit costs, multiple decision-making entities in the transit sector, minimal investment, lack of adequate infrastructure in the transit sector, shortage of transportation fleet, and underdeveloped rail network, as well as a shortage of large transportation companies in international markets and a lack of appropriate interactions with neighboring countries, are among the obstacles and limiting factors for the development of international corridors in Iran. However, Iran's challenges and issues in positioning and benefiting from international corridors in Asia and European territories are not limited to domestic problems. The hegemonic approach of the United States and the West, China's commercial infiltration policies and programs, and cross-border competitions of intermediate-level players such as Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Israel are among the geopolitical and geostrategic challenges that Iran faces in this regard. Thus, this study aims to investigate the domestic challenges and issues facing Iran in positioning in international corridors on the one hand and the regional and international geopolitical and geostrategic barriers facing Iran on the other. The article's argument is based on the assumption that both internal weaknesses and issues and regional and international geopolitical and geostrategic constraints have played a central role in undermining Iran's position in international corridors.
 
Methodology
The nature and method of the research conducted are descriptive-analytical, aiming to investigate the geostrategic role of Iran in international and regional corridors. The present study collected valid data through library research; theoretical foundations were used to extract existing infrastructural components, and a new insight on the subject was reached through credible sources such as books, reports, and scientific articles. Additionally, the geographical position of Iran and the status of domestic (railway, water, and land) and international and regional corridors were mapped and analyzed using GIS 10.5 and Google Earth Pro tools.
Results and discussion
The first part of the findings examines the status and performance of corridor points and networks within the country (rail, water, and land) connected with international corridors passing through Iran. The survey results on the performance of rail, water, and land networks within the country in the 10 years leading to this study show that the decrease in performance or insignificant growth has been an important part of these quasi-transit networks.  In other words, the transit networks inside Iran's territory cannot support Iran's role in international corridors. This can result from problems and limitations in the development of international relations, investment attraction, easing of laws and regulations, one-sided attitudes in developing political and economic relations with other countries, and territorial insecurity. The second part of the research findings focused on the performance of international and regional corridors passing through the territorial space of Iran. According to previous studies, the performance of these corridors passing through Iran's territorial space is very low, less than 10% of the predicted nominal capacity. The final part of the research findings is focused on those international and regional corridors where Iran is not in the path or axis of those corridors. The results of the study show that the regional and global powers and Iran's neighboring countries are trying to diminish Iran's transit position with strategic designs, the formation of transit blocks around Iran's territorial space, and the transit opportunities and positive results resulting from it. Take it out of Iran's hands. Those international and regional corridors where Iran is not on the path or axis of those corridors will be addressed; in other words, it has been left aside. The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, the China-Turkey-Europe Corridor, the Maritime Silk Road, and the Iraq-Turkey Corridor (Development Road) are among the most important corridors that are in use or are being implemented and designed, which reduce transit opportunities for Iran.
 
 
Conclusion
The investigation and evaluation of competitor transit routes in Iran from different aspects, such as route security, distance, facilities and services offered, tariffs, and costs, have a significant impact on increasing the competitiveness of international corridors passing through Iran. Continuous inspections, high costs, and various charges have reduced the advantage of goods transiting through Iran, leading to other countries taking over this market. Therefore, the main issue that should be considered for the development of transit in the country is the creation of a competitive environment for transit routes. The government and government policies play a very important role in utilizing the country's transit potential. The lack of proper cooperation with regional countries is another important factor that has prevented the proper utilization of corridor capacities in Iran. Establishing appropriate cooperation and amending laws to facilitate customs procedures should be pursued seriously by the government in support of the transit industry. Additionally, due to a large portion of the transportation sector being government-owned, unfortunately, government agencies are not properly taking marketing and attracting traders seriously in the road, sea, and rail sectors.
In order to develop international and regional corridors located in Iran and to enhance economic diplomacy, the following suggestions are proposed:

Reform and develop the transportation network, focusing on factors such as the country's transit position and demand, corridor development, land use planning, defense and security considerations, and national profitability.
Increase efficiency to achieve a high level of excellence by improving transportation rules and management, developing human resources, and enhancing information resources.
Prepare strategic development plans for transit routes based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Assess and evaluate the competitiveness of Iran's transit routes in international corridors.

 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
 We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.