Introduction

This chapter explains the rationale for studying Iran’s soft power in Afghanistan and Pakistan. While doing that, this chapter focuses on the importance of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Iran’s foreign policy and how by employing a variety of soft power tools Iran has been trying to gain influence in both South Asian countries. This follows research questions and a detailed description of primary data collection. Then, the concept of soft power is explained in the light of relevant theories such as those presented by scholars such as Joseph Nye about the importance of soft power. This follows our examination of key Iranian soft power instruments.