Iran returns to the world stage with Rohani’s upcoming trip to Europe

Iranian President Hassan Rohani will on Monday embark on a tour to Italy, the Vatican and France a trip driven purely by economic incentives to stage the return of Iran to the international community, just weeks after the historic nuclear deal was signed with western powers.

The trip, the first time the president will travel overseas since the agreement ending international sanctions on the Iranian economy entered into force earlier this month, was originally planned for late November 2015, but was postponed because of the terrorist attacks in Paris in the middle of the same month.

The delay allows the Iranian president to now make an appearance in Europe while the Joint Integrated Action Plan (JCPOA) is in full force and the sanctions on the Iranian economy are eliminated.

During the fourday trip, which is the first by an Iranian president to European Union countries in over a decade, Rohani will meet with heads of state, senior officials from Italy and France, and with Pope Francisco.

Rohani, a Shiite cleric, will become the second president of Iran to be received by a pontiff, after former president Mohamad Khatami met with Pope John Paul II more than a decade ago.

In his first stop Monday, Rohani will convene in Rome with Italian President, Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, with whom he will give a joint press conference.

On Tuesday, the Iranian president will participate in a forum on business cooperation with the president of the General Confederation of Italian Industry, Giorgio Squinzi.

The same day, Pope Francis will receive Rohani in the Vatican.

After Italy, Rohani will travel to France, where he will hold talks with French President Francois Hollande and other senior officials.

He will also meet with the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, as well as investors, entrepreneurs, industry representatives and journalists.

In both Italy and France, the bilateral discussions are driven by economics, reflecting the huge interest in Iran that has been unleashed since sanctions and the Middle Eastern country’s need attract investment to revive its ailing economy.

Italy and France were two of Iran’s largest investors prior to the sanctions in key sectors of the economy including oil and automotives.

The two countries are now bracing for a struggle to retain their privileged status in Iran amid the massive competition predicted to emerge from other European and Asian countries.

Unsurprisingly, Rohani’s visit to Europe was preceded by a visit to Tehran by Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Iran and China announcing the establishment of a “strategic partnership” to multiply their already huge trade ties.

Heavyweights such as Italian oil company Eni, Peugeot automobile, or the Airbus consortium based in France, have already shown interest in negotiating for a return to Iran.

Notably, Iran has announced it will buy 114 Airbus aircraft to renew its aging fleet, a multimillion dollar business in which the European company appears to have an advantage over their Russian, US and Asian competitors.

The trip will also serve to reinforce the gradual thaw in political relations between Iran and the West as well as Tehran’s new role as a valid partner in regional and global affairs.

Other issues to be addressed by the meetings between Rohani and his European peers include the escalating tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the conflict in Syria, the fight against jihadism, the deteriorating situation in Yemen and the stability in the Middle East in general.

Both Rome and Paris have in recent months stressed the indispensable role Tehran plays in resolving these conflicts, something that would have been unthinkable only a few months ago and marks the ascendancy of Iran on the global stage.