Iranian Foreign Policy During Rouhani Presidency: Perspective on Change and Continuity

When Hassan Rouhani as 11th president of Iran was elected, there was a great expectation of changing the Iranian foreign policy. As it was great hope for recovering Iran’s economy. Following his election victory in 2013, President Hassan Rouhani spoke of his desire to construct Iran’s foreign policy with the objective of enhancing mutual trust between Iran and other countries, avoid extremism, and build trust over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Direct talks with the US soon followed, paving the way for a succession of interim deals and confidence building measures that finally led to the JCPOA. However, despite the euphoria in the Western academic circles on Rouhani who would rapidly change Iran’s foreign policy, there remain constraints in his ability to radically alter the foundations of post-1979 Iranian foreign policy. In fact, the Rouhani administration has pursued a very cautious foreign policy and has maintained the general geopolitical objectives underlying Iran’s external orientation ever since the 1979 Islamic revolution. National interests and state survival have always triumphed over idealistic revolutionary impulses in Iran’s wider foreign policy. This has remained a feature of Rouhani’s foreign policy as well.