The city-port of Bushehr is considered one of the most important gateways for Iran to the world due to its strategic location on the Persian Gulf coast, long history in maritime trade, presence of foreign consulates, and extensive cultural interactions. However, the economic developments of recent decades, the development of rival ports, the consequences of the imposed war, and the continued weakness of transportation networks have reduced the international role and the decline of the commercial and cultural functions of this city. In such circumstances, city diplomacy and the establishment of sisterhood ties can be considered as an effective tool for redefining Bushehr's position in the regional and global arena. The present study aims to identify the capacities and obstacles of Bushehr city for utilizing city diplomacy and presenting operational priorities for sisterhood. This study was conducted with a descriptive-analytical approach and based on qualitative data, by reviewing library resources, documents, and related studies, as well as obtaining expert opinions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 senior managers and experts in the province in the municipality, ports, cultural heritage, university, etc. (purposive snowball sampling) and the data were coded using thematic analysis. The findings show that historical background, multicultural identity, port location, and industrial and tourism capacities are among the most important advantages, and on the other hand, the lack of communication infrastructure (especially rail and air), institutional limitations, and weak strategic planning are among the most important obstacles for Bushehr to establish sisterhood relations with peer cities. Also, among the 25 proposed cities, Dubai (UAE) was given first priority and Shanghai (China) was given second priority. The operational strategy extracted from the SWOT matrix requires the development of an active strategy in the field of urban diplomacy, attracting capital and tourists, and realizing sustainable development.