[3] The Iranian Alans were one of the people groups to settle Spain after the fall of the Roman Empire, but both countries have experienced Arab conquest after the initial expansion of Islam in the 700s.

[5][6][7] His ambassador to the Shah was the knight of Saint John de Balbi, and an alliance was made with the objective of making an attack on the Ottoman Empire in the west and the east within the following year.

[8] Contacts heightened with the Persian embassy to Europe (1599-1602), the final portion of which took place in Spain, where the Iranians met with king Philip III, and obtained seaborne transportation from Portugal to the Strait of Hormuz and Persia.

[citation needed] During the protests in Iran of 2021-2022, Spain, together with most of the countries of Europe, condemned the repressions of the theocratic government against the Iranian population.

In a meeting with the Yazd Chamber of Commerce representatives, Spain's ambassador to Iran Antonio Sánchez-Benedito expressed his commitment to strengthening academic ties with Tehran.

The Elcano Royal Institute also expressed a strong interest in working with Iranian researchers, policymakers, and think tanks on issues of mutual importance.