While ELfenix is somewhat correct in saying, "you aren't going to divorce iran from religion any time soon. Iranians practically invented religion, particularly in the western sense of the word. shia islam is almost zoraostrianism with islamic names."
What is ignored is the fact Iran never quite fit in with the rest of the Muslim world. The Shia sect was on the losing side of the Muslim religious schism that happened very early on as Islam started its meteoric expansion, and the Sunnis were on the winning side. Until very recently, Iraq was also majority populated by Sunnis. Leaving Iran the only nation that has historically majority Shia.
And when the Brits were the power brokers in the Mid-east, they would not even consider backing anyone who was Shia in anything but Iran because it would anger the Arab dominated Sunnis in all other surrounding nations. The Persians have always been odd man out in the mid-east.
As it is, Iran now looks east for its future, a pipeline to India is needed to exploit Iran's vast natural gas reserves. Meaning they too need a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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