Iran hosted the Tehran Dialogue Forum on May 18–19 with 200 delegates from 53 countries, showcasing its soft power through diplomacy while also highlighting military strength—an approach echoing the "smart power" concept of balancing dialogue and deterrence.
Iran hosted the Tehran Dialogue Forum on May 18-19 participated by 200 high-ranking delegates from 53 countries by which it showcased its diplomatic soft power while the Islamic Republic has in the past weeks also unveiled its underground bases of ballistic missiles and drones.
Joseph Samuel Nye Jr. (January 19, 1937 – May 6, 2025), American political scientist and co-founder of the international relations theory of neo-liberalism, developed the notion of soft power including cultural and academic strengths in the late 1980s distinguishing from hard power such as the military might.
In the early 2000s, he co-developed the term smart power as the ability to combine hard and soft powers to secure a successful strategy.
Although Iranian statesmen have been at loggerheads with their US counterparts since the 1979 Islamic Revolution which toppled the pro-west Shah monarchy, they appear to have implemented Nye’s smart power notion in more viable ways by hosting such dialogue forums.
Organized by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the fourth Tehran Dialogue Forum brought in prime ministers, presidential aides, foreign ministers, and former government officials from regional countries including Azerbaijan and Armenia from South Caucasia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan from Central Asia, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, and Iraqi Kurdistan from the Persian Gulf and Middle East, and the secretary general of Shanghai Security Organization as speakers of the event.
The main message sent by convening this year’s forum was that Iran is able to organize a regional platform for discussions on key issues simultaneous with wielding its military power and while at the bargaining table in the ongoing negotiations with the US on its nuclear enrichment program.
On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the UAE’s Tawazun Council signed a deal to strengthen defense cooperation and develop new technologies.
India’s space agency, ISRO, has reported a failure in launching its EOS-9 surveillance satellite into the planned orbit after a technical problem during the rocket’s flight.
President Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine should have remained a European matter and that the United States should not have gotten involved.
Countries have taken a major step toward finalizing a landmark global agreement aimed at preventing future pandemics.
France will open a new high-security prison deep in the Amazon jungle of French Guiana, aimed at detaining drug traffickers and radicalised inmates.
On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the UAE’s Tawazun Council signed a deal to strengthen defense cooperation and develop new technologies.
India’s space agency, ISRO, has reported a failure in launching its EOS-9 surveillance satellite into the planned orbit after a technical problem during the rocket’s flight.
President Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine should have remained a European matter and that the United States should not have gotten involved.
Countries have taken a major step toward finalizing a landmark global agreement aimed at preventing future pandemics.
France will open a new high-security prison deep in the Amazon jungle of French Guiana, aimed at detaining drug traffickers and radicalised inmates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, following the release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander.
Qatar signed a landmark agreement with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday to acquire 160 aircraft for Qatar Airways, a deal valued at $200 billion. The signing took place in Doha during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet behind closed doors at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace at 10:00 local time today to explore security guarantees, territorial integrity and a possible ceasefire.
EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
Armenia has proposed elevating its cooperation with Cyprus to the level of a strategic partnership, a move positively received by Cypriot officials.
Negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia could soon advance to a new level, with discussions possibly involving the heads of state, according to Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan.
Azerbaijani presidential climate envoy Mukhtar Babayev is set to participate in the Astana International Forum 2025, focusing on global challenges and future cooperation.
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, covering trade, investment, culture, and global challenges. Both sides signed a Cooperation Program for 2025-2026 to deepen their partnership.
Iran will continue to enrich uranium regardless of whether a new nuclear agreement is reached with the United States, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday in a statement on social media platform X.
On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the UAE’s Tawazun Council signed a deal to strengthen defense cooperation and develop new technologies.
India’s space agency, ISRO, has reported a failure in launching its EOS-9 surveillance satellite into the planned orbit after a technical problem during the rocket’s flight.
President Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine should have remained a European matter and that the United States should not have gotten involved.
Countries have taken a major step toward finalizing a landmark global agreement aimed at preventing future pandemics.
France will open a new high-security prison deep in the Amazon jungle of French Guiana, aimed at detaining drug traffickers and radicalised inmates.
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