The findings indicate that, within the internal environment, Iran’s geopolitical location and national fleet capacity constitute the most significant strengths, whereas weaknesses in digital marketing, institutional constraints, and the vulnerability of Iran’s international maritime brand represent the most critical weaknesses. In the external environment, the expansion of transit corridors—particularly the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the growth of regional trade emerged as key opportunities. In contrast, the intensification of international sanctions, increasing competition from alternative transit corridors, and geopolitical risks were identified as the principal threats.

The SWOT matrix analysis reveals that aggressive (SO) strategies centered on leveraging Iran’s geopolitical and transit capacities, alongside defensive (WT) strategies aimed at reducing sanction-induced vulnerabilities, hold the highest strategic priority. Accordingly, strengthening regional alliances, modernizing the national fleet, expanding digital marketing capabilities, and transitioning toward sustainable maritime transport are proposed as key pathways for enhancing international competitiveness.

From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the existing literature by addressing the relatively neglected dimension of international marketing within Iran’s maritime transport industry. From a practical standpoint, it provides a strategic decision-making framework for policymakers and maritime stakeholders under conditions of geopolitical uncertainty. A major limitation of the study was restricted access to sanction-related data. Future studies are therefore encouraged to employ advanced quantitative approaches, including fuzzy decision-making models and scenario analysis, to enhance the precision and generalizability of findings.

The fuzzy analysis results demonstrated that “banking and insurance sanctions” with a weight of 0.214 constitute the most critical limiting factor, while “the development of transit corridors” with a weight of 0.228 represents the most significant strategic opportunity for Iran’s maritime transport industry.