Abstract:
The Islamic-Revolutionary identity of the Islamic Republic of Iran has caused the continuity of Iran's foreign policy behavior in many cases, from the beginning of the formation of the 1979 revolution to the present day. This continuity of behavior (derived from the specific Islamic-Revolutionary identity) is also observable in Iran's nuclear issue. But why does the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Khatami presidency seem different from the Ahmadinejad presidency? Although this behavioral difference is visible on the surface, they share the same roots. In fact, considering the timing of when the nuclear issue was raised, the way the two presidents pursued the demands of the Iranian nation has been different, even though both have emphasized Iran's indisputable rights. Accordingly, the main question of the article is: What impact has the Islamic and Revolutionary identity, specifically regarding the nuclear issue, had on Iran's foreign policy behavior during the Khatami and Ahmadinejad eras? The data of the article seeks this conclusion: During the Khatami era, given international pressures and news propaganda, Iran (with regard to its Islamic-Revolutionary identity) took steps toward gaining regional and international trust; however, Iran's geopolitical realities, the decision-making and decision-maker structure of the Islamic Republic system, regional realities, the international system, the hidden intentions of Western countries, etc., caused the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the late Khatami era and early Ahmadinejad era, to adopt an aggressive approach in its nuclear case (derived from its Islamic-Revolutionary identity).
Machine summary:
Based on this, the main question of the article is: What effect has the Islamic and Revolutionary identity, specifically regarding the nuclear issue, had on the foreign policy behavior of Iran during the Khatami and Ahmadinejad eras?
Given what has passed, the main question is: what effect has the Islamic and Revolutionary identity had on the behavior of Iran's foreign policy during the Khatami and Ahmadinejad eras regarding the nuclear issue?
The short answer is that; Iran's Islamic-Revolutionary identity in the two eras of Khatami and Ahmadinejad has caused continuity in the behavior of Iran's foreign policy regarding the nuclear issue.
For example, Iran's cooperation during the Mohammad Khatami government with the International Atomic Energy Agency and European powers, the negotiating parties, was noteworthy; so much so that the then Director General, among his reports to the Board of Governors, mentions the following major actions as positive performance by Iran: - Signing the Additional Protocol on December 18, 2003; - Voluntary and temporary implementation of the Additional Protocol from September 18, prior to its ratification in the Islamic Consultative Assembly; - Complementary access (up to twenty items) according to Article 4 of the Additional Protocol, which was often provided with two hours or less of prior notice; - Full and unlimited access to nuclear materials and facilities, especially the Natanz enrichment plant and the Uranium Conversion Facility (UFC) in Isfahan; - Providing accurate information regarding the import of nuclear materials and components related to centrifuge and laser enrichment activities; - Allowing access to military sites following allegations of specific countries and terrorist groups opposed to the regime; - Providing 1030 pages of initial declarations following the Additional Protocol on May 21, 2004, which have been continuously updated and subjected to the Agency's veracity testing.
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