Sustainable Development and Foreign Investment;, A Comparative Approach in Iranian Law and International Economic Law

Sustainable development, as a solution, tries to compensate for the destructive effects that the expansionist and anti-nature approach of man has left on the planet, and to achieve this, it has used the three main components of economic development, social welfare, and environmental protection. Achieving sustainable development also requires the existence of sufficient resources, including "foreign investment," which can provide employment, production, and a productive economy. The Islamic Republic of Iran, with its strategic regions and abundant capacities, is one of the suitable platforms for attracting foreign investors. The present study was developed using a descriptive-analytical method and based on reliable library sources and statutory laws, and it has expressed the importance of foreign investment in international economic law. In explaining the commonality or non-commonality of sustainable development and foreign investment, the "intermediate theory" should be considered; In such a way that accepting the view of incompatibility between this component will have no result except the spread of poverty and backwardness, and on the other hand, reckless and blind attraction of foreign investment may also deprive future generations of the possibility of exploiting natural resources. The results of this research show that the Iranian legislator, taking into account international documents and treaties on sustainable development, has always tried to adopt laws facilitating the achievement of a basic strategy in the field of attracting foreign capital in the field of supporting foreign investment and in order to achieve sustainable development, but major obstacles such as sanctions and non-compliance by some foreign parties have prevented this noble goal from being fully realized. In addition, it is necessary for the government and those in charge of the matter, in order to provide suitable conditions for attracting foreign capital, to first emphasize the development-oriented nature of foreign investment and then, with careful planning, to direct this investment towards sustainable development and sustainable expansion.