Ma`rifat Siyasi

This study analyzes the reasons and underlying contexts that led to the adoption of a resistance-oriented approach in the governance of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the ninth and tenth administrations, with a particular focus on its impact on the country’s nuclear policy. In recent years, Iran’s nuclear policies have faced serious, multifaceted challenges due to biased reports from opponents of the Islamic Republic and negative perceptions among Western powers and international organizations. Widespread sanctions imposed by Western countries and the global hegemonic order have created a complex political environment, resulting in political polarization and intellectual confrontation within Iran’s internal power structure. Using a qualitative methodology and a conceptual network framework (including role theory, historical sociology, and Roseau’s divergence-crisis theory), this paper interprets and analyzes the motivations and circumstances behind the resistance-oriented policies adopted between 2005 and 2013. The study finds that these policies were influenced by differing interpretations of national interests and various regional and global developments. Recent events—such as shifts in domestic political power, economic instability caused by sanctions, the rising role of the Axis of Resistance in combating terrorism, international crises like the Russia-Ukraine war, the Al-Aqsa Storm operation, and regional conflicts, as well as administrative changes in the U.S.—have once again brought Iran’s nuclear policies to the forefront. Understanding the rationale behind the past resistance-oriented approach can inform the design of more rational strategies for the country’s diplomatic apparatus, ensuring that the principles of dignity, expediency, and wisdom are upheld in achieving national interests through the dynamic interaction of fieldwork and diplomacy.