Zohreh Poustinchi - Assistant Professor of Islamic Azad University: Roudehen Branch

Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the subsequentformation of the Islamic Republic, the Orientation of Iran’s foreignpolicy has arguably become the newly established state’s primaryagenda on the international arena. In accordance with Islamic a thoughton international relations, the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy wasconstructed on the concept of Islamic supra nationalism which places itsemphasis on the unity of the global Muslim community. Arguably, thissupra-nationalist doctrine is incompatible with the current politicalworld order which is based on the concept of the Westphalia nationstate.Foreign policy is a function of cultural images, structuralimplications and repeatable historical signs. Multilateral cooperationforms the infrastructure of Iran’s political culture and foreign policy.Multilateral cooperation is linked by the structure of Islamic republic ofIran, Westphalia system, and the process of international politics. Singsof Iran’s multilateral cooperation could be seen at putting an end to theeight years’ war between Iran and Iraq, acceptance of the 598 UN.Resolutions Reconstruction of Relations with Arab’s conservativecountries at 1990 and nuclear diplomacy. Although multilateralcooperation contradicts with some of structural sings of Iran’s politicalsystem, it effects on the procedure of Iran’s foreign policy to avoidescalation of crisis. Graham Fuller argues that Iran’s multilateralcooperation is based on bargaining from the weak position.This incompatibility exists on three levels; firstly, Islam places itsemphasis on ideological boundaries rather than political borders andtherefore rejects the idea of nationalist states. Secondly, Islam deniescurrent sources of legitimacy with regard to international laws andregulations, and finally, Islam calls for the elimination of cultural,ethnic and geographical boundaries among Muslims in order to uniteMuslim communities in a new power bloc within the current politicalworld order.The content and orientation of this article is based on Triangledynamic interaction approach. Dynamic in triangle interaction controlsstructural, cultural and ideological differences and changes Iran’sforeign policy multilateral cooperation, could be seen in different issuesspecially nuclear diplomacy and acceptance of comprehensive JointAction plan. Interactions of political culture, structure and Shiaideology are dependent variables and the implications of internal andexternal system are independent variables of the article.

Identity, Multilateral cooperation, Images, Values, Foreign Policy, International Relations