TEHRAN – Iran officially became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961. However, it was only after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that the country emerged as an independent and active participant in the movement.

Although Iran had joined NAM during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, its membership was largely symbolic. The Shah’s regime, widely viewed as aligned with Western colonial powers—particularly the United States and the United Kingdom—failed to adhere to the non-aligned principles in practice.

As a key member of the Baghdad Pact—later renamed the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)—Iran, under the Shah, distanced itself from NAM. In fact, it was unable to attend NAM’s first summit in Belgrade in 1961 due to its involvement in this Western-led military alliance.

In the early 1950s, the United States spearheaded efforts to form a regional alliance in the Middle East aimed at curbing Soviet influence during the Cold War. Yet, ideological divides in the region, such as the Arab-Israeli conflict and rising anti-colonial sentiment led by Egypt, made it difficult to create a unified bloc that included both Israel and Western colonial powers.

Although Iran was the last to join CENTO—after Turkey, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and Iraq—it played an increasingly pivotal role in the alliance. The Shah’s government prioritized CENTO as a key aspect of its foreign policy, effectively sidelining NAM. As a result, Iran’s NAM membership during this period remained superficial and largely performative.

A turning point: The Islamic Revolution and Iran’s shift in foreign policy

CENTO proved ineffective in curbing Soviet influence across the region. By the 1970s, the USSR had deployed over 20,000 troops to Egypt and established naval bases in Syria, South Yemen, and Somalia. The Baghdad Pact began to unravel in 1958, when a coup in Iraq overthrew the British-backed monarchy. Iraq soon exited the alliance and established ties with the Soviet Union. Following this, the alliance was renamed CENTO.

The final blow to CENTO came after Turkey’s military invasion of Cyprus, which prompted the United Kingdom to withdraw its military contributions, rendering the organization largely defunct. The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran marked the definitive end of Iran’s involvement in the alliance. In its aftermath, the United States and the United Kingdom were forced to pivot toward bilateral defense agreements with countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, and the Persian Gulf monarchies.

With the fall of the Shah, Iran’s foreign policy underwent a dramatic transformation. The new Islamic Republic replaced the pro-Western orientation of the previous regime with an “independent, neither East nor West” stance.

On November 4, 1979—just months after the Revolution—a group of Muslim Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, demanding the extradition of the former Shah to stand trial in Iran. 

Iran re-engaged with the Non-Aligned Movement and applied for active membership shortly after the Revolution.

In June 1979, Iran’s membership was approved at NAM’s ministerial meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Just three months later, Iranian Foreign Minister Ebrahim Yazdi, representing the interim government of Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan, announced Iran’s formal withdrawal from CENTO and took part in the Sixth NAM Summit in Havana, Cuba. There, he officially reaffirmed Iran’s full and active participation in the movement.

Post-Revolution engagement and NAM support for Iran

By 1981, as the internal political situation in Iran stabilized, Tehran deepened its engagement with NAM. The movement, in turn, expressed support for Iran in various international arenas. During the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), NAM condemned the aggression of Saddam Hussein’s regime and made diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict. It also supported the adoption and implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 598, which ended the war.

Iran, the 88th official member of NAM, has since remained an active and influential participant. In 2012, Iran hosted the 16th NAM Summit in Tehran, assuming the presidency of the organization from Egypt for a three-year term (2012–2015). The summit further highlighted Iran’s role as a regional power and a vocal advocate for the movement’s goals.

Over the past four decades, Iran has played an active role in NAM’s decision-making processes and policy discussions on major international issues. The movement has repeatedly voiced its support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, including in meetings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN Security Council. Notably, NAM issued statements in defense of Iran’s nuclear rights during the 2006 foreign ministerial meeting in Indonesia and at the 14th Summit in Havana.

Iran and many NAM member states also share common ground on global issues such as the Palestinian cause, opposition to Islamophobia and racism, and calls for equitable access to global markets for developing countries, especially those of the Global South.