A Review on Iranian Energy Diplomacy in Its Foreign Policy’s Institutional Context

Despite the single official name of the Islamic Republic to represent the country’s political system, it has been built on two pillars of governance: the president as the head of government, and the supreme leader as the head of state. The political structure is based on a policymaking system that is highly dualistic and dominates the relations between the supreme leader and the executive branch of power. Even though the new era of Iran’s foreign policy commences after the Iran revolution in 1979, this study has been focused on the years beyond 1988, the coincidental year of the end of the Iraq-Iran war and the death of the first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Imam Khomeini. Immediately after his death, the political system changed to empower the supreme leader in governance and policymaking. In this regard, this article provides a thorough description and critical analysis of Iran’s political system and foreign policy making, focusing specifically on its energy diplomacy.