Religion for Iran is also part of regional geopolitics. It seems that Iran has been well aware that it is not realistic to encourage Muslims in other regional countries to establish Islamic governments by overthrowing incumbent regimes. But the identity of a leading Shiite Muslim state is always the starting point of Iran's policy in regional affairs. Iran regards leading and unifying the Shiite countries and communities as religious obligations.

The Afghanistan and Iraq wars, by eliminating the Taliban regime to the east and Saddam Hussein's regime to the west, both of which used to be Iran's arch enemies, have given Iran more influence in regional affairs. Thus, Iran has been able to play a leading role free of checks from its neighbors.

Furthermore, the demise of Saddam's regime in Iraq transformed Iraq from a Sunni country into a Shiite nation overnight, paving the way for a geographical connection of Shiites from Iran to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. A balanced confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites has emerged for the first time in the history of bilateral relations. Before that, Shiites could not form a unified force with real strategic significance due to geographical fragmentation.

The role of Iran as a leading Shiite country was especially noticeable in the so-called Arab Spring. Iran criticized Saudi Arabia's crack down on its domestic anti-government oppositions striving for more political rights, which mainly comes from the Shiite population in the southeast.

Iran strongly condemned joint military action by the GCC to repress the Shiite insurgents in Bahrain. Iran's Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani even strongly lashed at a proposal that might lead to a union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, where Shiites makes up 70 percent of the population. He said that neither Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, could rule over the people by force, nor could the Saudis absorb Bahrain.

Iran has also given moral, political and material support for Syria's Bashar Al-Assad, who is an Allawite, a minor Shiite sect. Iran's support has been crucial for the survival of Assad's regime in its two-year resistance against pressures for him to step down.

All in all, despite external and internal changes during the last three decades, religion is still a critical factor shaping Iran's foreign policy. Iran sees itself as having a religious responsibility to work for the interests and rights of Muslims at home and abroad, and feels it necessary to act to ensure the security of its religious ideology and enhance the role of Shiite countries and communities in regional affairs.

Of special consideration is that Iran's religious diplomacy in the 21st century is generally defensive rather than offensive, although Iran is still wrongly categorized by the West as a fundamentalist state that advocates terrorism. Iran is still working for global recognition of the Islamic Republic and the survival of the Islamic system.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit http://www.shenbo75.com/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.