Introduction
The foreign policy of countries faces limitations and opportunities both in the international system and in the domestic decision-making arena. For this reason, the foreign policy of countries is influenced by numerous factors, some of which are related to the approach and role of the government and decision-making groups, influential institutions, the personality of decision-makers, and other domestic factors. Another part of this process is related to the role of external factors and issues related to friendship and enmity, coalitions or alliances, and the role of regional and international institutions. In addition, the type of hostility of countries with their rivals and enemies, such as assuming full-scale confrontation, using common capacities and managing differences, and creating a platform for competition or using the mediation capacity of countries, are among the mechanisms that great powers use in the field of foreign policy. In the meantime, cooperation between great powers to outdo their rivals in the form of cooperation with regional powers or developing countries may also be considered, which is clearly seen in the competition between China and the United States in the Persian Gulf region and the way they interact and confront the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, the United States has been one of the main allies of the Persian Gulf countries, including the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, for many years, but today, with China's entry into various technological, economic, and strategic areas, competition between the two great powers has been created in this region. Given that the competition between the two great powers will also affect the status and conditions of the Persian Gulf countries, including Iran, the present study seeks to examine the foreign policy of Iran and China from the perspective of pragmatism and competition or interaction between China and the United States. The central question is: from the perspective of confrontation with the United States, what are the differences between the foreign policies of Iran and China in the Persian Gulf region and what have been the results? The results have shown that the difference in Iran's ideological and China's pragmatic attitude towards America, the different expectations of Iran and China from each other's regional and international role to prevent American influence, and China's selective approach to supporting Iran are among the differences that have caused Iran to benefit less from China's international and regional role and influence. The present article uses a descriptive and analytical method and library tools, and the theoretical framework of the research is pragmatism.
 
 
Main body
The Islamic Republic of Iran and China are among the countries that are present in West Asia and the other in the east of this continent, and due to the current nature of the international system and China's desire to gain hegemony in the international system and Iran's opposition to the hegemony of the United States, it has become particularly evident. Behaviors based on interaction and convergence between Iran and China and other countries in the Persian Gulf region are more than anything due to China's desire to obtain energy resources such as oil and gas for domestic consumption and economic development, and on the other hand, competition with the United States as the hegemony of the international system. As the Islamic Republic of Iran has had numerous challenges with Western countries, including the United States, in recent years, and the "Look East" policy, and at the forefront of them, the development of diplomatic relations through foreign policy with China, has been one of the basic approaches in the post-Islamic Revolution governments, which has led to cooperation between the two countries. In addition, China, as a global power and the main rival of the United States, has several reasons for its presence and influence in the Persian Gulf. Among other things, China needs energy, including oil and natural gas, for domestic production and economic progress in order to become the hegemon of the international system. In addition, investment in other countries through technology transfer, bilateral and multilateral agreements, or playing a role as an intermediary and influential actor are other reasons that have brought China to the Persian Gulf. China's main economic project is the Belt and Road Initiative, one of its manifestations, the Digital Silk Road, has significantly generated huge investments among the countries of the Persian Gulf region. However, China's presence in this region is not without challenges and obstacles, so that the United States, as the hegemon of the international system, seeks to maintain its traditional allies among the Arab countries, while avoiding their extensive interaction with China, and at the same time, to keep some regional threats against its interests, namely the Islamic Republic of Iran, away from China. The United States is concerned about China's influence, political and economic impact on the countries of the Persian Gulf region, which, observing China's rise in power in the coming decades, are seeking to benefit from its competition with the United States. However, assessing the foreign policy of the main players in the region, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, and China, requires the application of a scientific method and mechanism, based on which the influence and benefit of each side from past and future developments in the Persian Gulf can be criticized. The pragmatic approach, which focuses on the results of a decision or behavior in the field of foreign policy, has the advantage of showing what tools and limitations the Islamic Republic of Iran has in the Persian Gulf region to develop relations with China or convince this global power to attract cooperation in the regional and international arenas. In addition, this same approach can provide a relatively clear assessment of China's foreign policy, so that it becomes clear to what extent China is using its international and regional position to confront the United States and support Iran.
Conclusion
Pragmatism in foreign policy means following the results of decisions in the field of foreign policy, without the ideological basis or idealism being decisive in this field. The application of this approach in the analysis of the foreign policy of Iran and China in the Persian Gulf region from the perspective of the role of the great powers, which is focused on China and the United States, shows that China's approach follows pragmatism. In contrast, Iran's ideological approach in confronting the United States in the region and at the level of the international system has caused it to benefit less from China's capacity or the competition between the two superpowers, the United States and China. In addition, given the economic nationalism attitude prevailing in the fifth generation of Chinese leaders, Iran's confrontation with the United States in various fields has resulted in China's caution and neutrality, which has been manifested in cases such as aligning with the UN sanctions resolutions against Iran in 2006-2007 and also referring the Iranian case to the UN Security Council. In the economic arena, under the conditions of extensive economic sanctions imposed by the West and the United States against Iran, China has been one of the main markets for supplying basic goods and purchasing oil from Iran, but with the escalation of tensions and the United States warning against trading with Iran, it has also abandoned this cooperation. China's repetition of this position and the continuation of the problems between Iran and the West over the nuclear program have led China to find new allies in the Persian Gulf, which, unlike Iran, do not have financial and ideological problems with the United States. China's development of the Silk Road, of which the Persian Gulf is an important part, has turned Arab countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia into China's strategic partners.