Past approaches unable ...
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First, discussions for cooperation should be started. For example, these countries should initiate periodic dialogues in their capitals to identify pathways to mutual understanding. Approaches must also change; you cannot expect others to come to the table with past approaches and tell them to think like Iran, especially when prior methods have not yielded results. Iran should not think like them either, but the expectation that they think like Iran is unrealistic.
Regional countries need to define a set of common interests and adjust their approaches to steer toward comprehensive cooperation. Dialogue is the first step; if an agreement is reached, they can then advance toward economic and cultural cooperation. These partnerships are much more attractive and sustainable. When countries’ interests are intertwined, they are less likely to create crises for each other, as doing so would directly harm their own partners.
Once economic and cultural cooperation is established, the focus can shift to political and security collaborations, which, in my view, has often been the reverse of what should happen. Unfortunately, discussions often begin with security cooperation, which is a mistake; security collaboration is a high-level partnership. However, this cooperation must be genuine and not merely contractual, as a simple security agreement alone will not resolve issues. Building such cooperation is not easy, but it can start with regional dialogue before progressing to security and political collaboration.
If we are to speak realistically, there are serious obstacles to such cooperation, with the United States being one of the most crucial. Iran’s allied countries maintain extensive relations with the US, and these collaborations must be structured in a way that does not pose a threat to American interests. If Washington feels threatened or perceives that its interests are at risk, it will do its utmost to prevent such cooperation from materializing. Given its hegemony in the region, the US is a major obstacle. Therefore, cooperation must be transparent, precise, and agreeable to all parties, taking US interests into account, ensuring they are not jeopardized. In rhetoric, Iran can claim to have no business with the US and to pursue its own agenda, but in practice, cooperation must be shaped so that Iran does not overtly position itself against American interests.