NATIONAL INTEREST AND STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT IN IRAN’S FOREIGN POLICY: A REALIST PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article examines Iran’s foreign policy through a realist analytical framework, focusing on the relationship between national interest, domestic political structure, and strategic alignment in the international system. Departing from normative or ideological explanations, the study situates Iran’s external behavior within the constraints of an anarchic international order, where survival, security, and power asymmetries shape state conduct. Drawing on core realist concepts such as anarchy, rational state behavior, alliance formation, and threat perception, the article argues that Iran’s persistent strategic isolation cannot be explained solely by external pressures but must also be understood in relation to internal decision-making mechanisms and their interaction with systemic realities. The analysis highlights how misalignment between material capabilities and foreign policy orientation has reinforced security dilemmas and limited Iran’s strategic options. By applying realism as an explanatory rather than prescriptive tool, the article contributes to debates on Middle Eastern foreign policy and offers a theoretically grounded reassessment of Iran’s position in the regional and global order.