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PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS

City Diplomacy in the Gulf, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome, Italy

January 12-14, 2026

-Co-organizer of the workshop                                        
 

Atlantic Dialogues, Rabat, Morocco 

December 11-13, 2025

-‘Emerging Leader’                                                

 

Rihla Initiative Panel Series, Majan Council, Muscat, Oman    

December 3, 2025

-Moderator of the workshop on “GCC Investment in Hydrogen-Based Green Industrial Development          

 

Quo Vadis Middle East, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany 

November 21-23, 2025

-Panelist                                                    

 

Iran Strategy Meeting, Wilton Park, United Kingdom

November 11-12, 2025

-Invited participant                                                

Rihla Initiative Policy Forum, Doha, Qatar 

November 2-3, 2025

-Organizer of the Forum                                          

 

Rihla Initiative Panel Series, Central Asian Policy Studies, Almaty, Kazakhstan    

October 8, 2025

-Organizer and moderator of the panel on “Gulf Climate Finance and Investment in Green Economic 

Growth Across Central Asia and the Caucasus                                          

 

Rihla Initiative Panel Series, The Rockefeller Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand 

October 2, 2025

-Organizer and moderator of the panel on “Gulf Climate Finance and Investment in Green Economic 

Growth Across South and Southeast Asia                                             

 

Rihla Initiative Panel Series, South African Institute for International Affairs, Pretoria, South Africa   

September 29, 2025

-Organizer and panelist on “Gulf Climate Finance and Investment in Green Economic 

Growth Across Sub-Saharan Africa                                     

 

Rihla Initiative Panel Series, Policy Center for the New South, Rabat, Morocco  

September 22, 2025

-Organizer and moderator of the workshop and panelist on “Gulf Climate Finance and Investment in Green Economic 

Growth Across the Middle East and North Africa                                 

 

Iranian Studies Conference, Arab Center for Policy and Research, Doha, Qatar

September 17-18, 2025

-Presented paper on Shifting Tides in the Gulf: Iran’s Growing Diplomatic Engagements with the GCC 

in a Changing Middle East                                            


 

Rihla Initiative Panel Series, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  

September 15, 2025

-Organizer and moderator of the panel on “Gulf Climate Finance and Investment in Green Economic 

Growth Across the Global South                                        

 

Gulf Research Meeting, Cambridge, United Kingdom                           

July 22-24, 2025

-Co-presented paper on “Shaping the Gulf’s Geopolitical Future” with Henrietta Toivanen                              

 

China in the Middle East: Geopolitics, Trade and Society, Egmont-Institute for International Relations, Brussels, Belgium  

June 16-17, 2025

-Panelist and Moderator                                                          

 

Nuclear Politics in and with the MENA Region, PRISME – SALAM Project, Nice, France (Virtual) 

May 7, 2025

-Presented research on “Nuclear Diplomacy in the Gulf: Exploring Pathways for 

Regional Nuclear Energy Cooperation between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE”                  

 

First GCC-Central Asia Think Tank Forum, International Institute for Central Asia, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

April 21-22, 2025

-Co-organizer of the forum                                              

 

Gulf Studies Symposium, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.                 

April 11-12, 2025

-Presented paper on “Washington’s Contentious Role in the Shifting Geopolitical Dynamics of the”                

 

ICESCO Leadership for Peace: From Theory to Practice, Rabat, Morocco (Virtual)                     

December 19, 2024

-Keynote Speaker “The Economics of Peace: How Inclusive Growth Can Foster                                   

Stability and Sustainable Development”         

 

                                                 

Italy in the Mediterranean Amid Transitions: Foreign Policy, Energy, and Security, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome, Italy

June 20, 2024

-Panelist    

                                                                                                                                             

Gulf Dialogue on Regional Economic Cooperation and Connectivity, Bhuth, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

April 15-16, 2024

-Invited participant (Closed Workshop)                                                                                                     

Moving Towards Regional Economic Integration in the Gulf, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

February 19-20, 2024  

-Organizer of the workshop                                                                                                            

 

Avenues for Regional Energy Cooperation between the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome, Italy

November 8-9, 2023 

-Organizer of the workshop                                                                                                            

 

Qatar Economic Forum, Doha, Qatar

May 24, 2023

-Panelist, Gulf Regional Economic Cooperation: Challenges and Opportunities                                                 

 

Middle East Dialogue, Policy Studies Organization, Washington DC (Virtual)

March 16, 2023

-Presented research on “Sustaining Peace through Regional Economic Integration in the Persian Gulf”              

 

China’s Economic and Political Presence in the Middle East and South Asia, Qatar University and Durham University (Virtual)

October 5, 2022

-Co-presented the edited volume with Luciano Zaccara                                                                                

 

Thirteenth Biannual Conference of the Association for Iranian Studies, University of Salamanca, Spain (Virtual)

September 1, 2022

-Presented research on the “Objectives and Determinants of Iranian Foreign Policy Decision-Making Calculus”    

 

Rethinking Security in the Middle East and North Africa, Durham University (Virtual)

June 14, 2022

-Presented research on “Reconfiguring the Regional Security Architecture in the Persian Gulf: Intra-GCC Conflicts and Relations with Iran”

 

Soft Power and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ibn Khaldon Center, Qatar (Virtual)

December 5, 2021

-Presented research on “Soft Power and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: Learning from the Experiences of Past Hosts to Mega-Sporting Events”

 

26/52 Project on Regional Economic Integration, Bourse & Bazaar Foundation (Virtual)

November 10, 2021

-Organizer of the workshop and project coordinator (Closed Workshop)                                               

 

Gulf Studies Center Sixth Annual International Interdisciplinary Conference, Qatar University (Virtual)                   

November 7, 2021

-Presented research on “Reconfiguring the Regional Security Architecture in the Persian Gulf: Intra-GCC Conflicts, Relations with Iran, and Great Power Interests”

 

Iran in the New Eurasian Context, Bourse & Bazaar Foundation and the Middle East Institute (Virtual)

July 30, 2020 

-Presented research on “The Rivalry between Iran and the GCC States in the Eurasian Context”                          

 

A World in Transition: Revisiting Non-Western Approaches to International Relations, Qatar University, Qatar

January 18, 2020 

-Moderated a debate on “Non-Western Theoretical Approaches to International Relations”                        

-Organizer and project coordinator

 

Gulf Studies Center Fourth Annual International Interdisciplinary Conference, Qatar University, Qatar                    

November 26, 2019

-Co-presented research on “The Quest for Alternative Energy in the Arabian Peninsula and Iran: Geopolitics of the Nuclear Option” with Mohammad Al-Saidi

 

Eighth Global Conference on Global Warming, Doha, Qatar                    

April 23, 2019

-Presented research on the “UAE and Saudi Arabia’s Quest for Nuclear Energy: Satisfying Domestic Energy Demands or Increasing Regional Power Status

 

The Gulf Studies Center Fourth International Student Symposium, Qatar University, Qatar

April 16, 2019

-Presented research on the “Consequences of the Iran Nuclear Deal on the Geopolitics of the Persian Gulf”      

-Moderated a Panel on “Societal Issues in the Age of Globalization: Identity, Youth, and Education in the Gulf”

-Head of the Organizing Committee

 

Gulf Studies Symposium, American University of Kuwait, Kuwait

March 16, 2019

-Co-presented research on “E-Commerce and Consumption Patterns in Iran: Sanctions as A Boost to Overcome External Limitations and Shortcomings” with Luciano Zaccara

 

Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations 23rd Annual Graduate Symposium, University of Toronto, Canada

March 5, 2019

-Presented research on “Barriers and Pathways for Cooperation between Iran and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf”

 

Gulf Studies Center Third Annual International Interdisciplinary Conference, Qatar University, Qatar                    

December 9, 2018

-Presented research on “Iran’s Pragmatic Foreign Policy in Response to Regional Crises: The Case of the Blockade Against Qatar”

 

TEDx Qatar University - Social Area, Qatar National Convention Center, Qatar

November 3, 2018

-Presented research on “Effectuating A Cooperative Future Between Iran and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council”                                                                              

 

Iran and the United States: Ending an Unnecessary Conflict and Opening New Horizons, Chapman University, CA

May 12, 2015

-Panelist                                                                                                                                                        

 

Model United Nations Security Council Conference, Fairmont Academy, CA

October 18, 2014

-Chair                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

Undergraduate Research Conference, Chapman University, CA 

-Presented poster and research paper on “American Public Opinion on the Iranian Nuclear Program”                    

May 14, 2014

National Model United Nations Conference, Manhattan, NY

April 14 – 17, 2014

-Head Delegate of Chapman University’s Model United Nations (2013-2015)           

 

                                           

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©2025 by Mehran Haghirian.

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