Decoding Iran’s Foreign Policy

Since the 1979 revolution, Iranian leaders have persisted in advancing a foreign policy aimed at achieving regional prominence and, in particular, rebuffing U.S. efforts to limit Iran’s influence. But how are foreign policy decisions made in light of the country’s tumultuous history? How do the challenges posed by regional and global actors impact Iranian decision-making? And how can we expect Iran to behave in the future?

Decoding Iran’s Foreign Policy uses a ‘strategic lens’ to explain how Iran conducts its current foreign policy and to unpack the dilemmas and strategic quandaries facing the Islamic Republic today. Ross Harrison argues that to understand Iranian behaviour it is essential to look at it from the perspective of Iran’s strategic interests, namely: its capabilities; how Iran interprets the region, the international community, and itself; and the state’s conception of time and territory in its foreign policy calculations.

Iranian foreign policy, in searching for a winning strategy for power and influence, is revealed to evince ideological strains but also realpolitik considerations based on current interpretations of the national interest. These different strains in Iran’s foreign policy represent the complexity of the challenges and opportunities the state faces. They also help us to understand the present and future of Iranian foreign policy behaviour.