استراتيجية ايران الكبرى: تاريخ سياسي

by Vali Nasr, ولي نصر

لا نظريات جاهرة في هذا الكتاب. العرض، التحليل، والتفكيك على أساس منهجي: هذا كل ما يقدّمه. الأيديولوجيا، ما لها، وما عليها. كيف تعمل، متى تهدأ، ومتى تشتعل.

على مدى سنواتٍ طويلة، بدا سلوك إيران عصياً على الفهم، لخروجه عن الأطوار المألوفة في النظام العالمي. لكن أحداً لم يفكّر بالسؤال عن الأسباب الحقيقية خلف بناء استراتيجيتها الكبرى على هذا النحو.

سنجد في هذا الكتاب تفسيراً عميقاً لجذور العلاقات التاريخية التي أنتجت السياسات الإيرانية، منذ بدايات العهد البلهوي الذي كان مهجوساً بالتجربة الكمالية التركية، وصولاً إلى أيامنا هذه. وبين هذه السنوات، هناك الكثير. الانقلاب على مُصدّق. صعود الشاه وسقوطه. تقرّبه من العرب وابتعاده عنهم. الثورة الإسلامية كلحظة تأسيسية جديدة في تاريخ الشرق الأوسط، وفي الصراع الداخلي بين اليسار والإسلاميين، في بلدان الشرق الأوسط. الحرب الإيرانية – العراقية وظلالها الطويلة.

كل هذا، بدءاً من دفاع إيران المقدّس، وصولاً إلى دفاعها المتقدّم، وما تبع ذلك من أزمات؛ آخرها البرنامج النووي، والمفاوضات الجديدة.

ولكن، كيف حدث كل ذلك؟

Genres: History, Iran, Politics, Middle East, Nonfiction, International Relations, Current Affairs

450 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2025

About the author

Son of renowned Iranian academic Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Vali Nasr was born in Tehran in 1960, went to school in England at age 16, and immigrated to the U.S. after the 1979 Revolution. He received his BA from Tufts University in International Relations summa cum laude. He earned his masters in International Economics and Middle East Studies from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1984, then went on to earn his PhD in Political Science from MIT in 1991.

Reviews

[Scriptor Ignotus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to learn about an international pariah regime motivated by violent religious extremism; with a foreign policy determined more by fundamentalist zealotry and outlandish millenarian expectations than by clear-eyed appraisals of the national interest; with a head of state who wields absolute power through a cult of personality and dictates national policy through a stream of bizarre and inscrutable public pronouncements, denouncing enemies and demanding unwavering personal loyalty, threatening to plunge both the world at large and his own insular and propagandized people into oblivion. How might the civilized world confront this heavily armed and belligerent rogue state, so detached from reality, so unamenable to reason, diplomacy, and basic norms of international conduct?

But in the end I decided that understanding the United States is both impossible and deleterious to one’s mental health, so I read this book about Iran instead.

[Ali Akbar Madraswala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, indeed. But Vali Nasr pulls back on the United States’ culpability in shaping Iran’s strategy. Perhaps, and understandably, he fears backlash, and his primary audience consists of American policymakers who may prefer a softened critique. Yet such an abhorrent and abominable power should be called out in broad daylight, lest ignorance prevail in the United States that the world is acutely aware of its unchecked, diabolical designs.

[Jung]

In "Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History", Vali Nasr lays out a sweeping account of how Iran’s leaders have thought about security, power, and survival for centuries, and how those ideas have shaped the Islamic Republic’s defiance of the United States and its allies today. The book makes the case that Iran’s politics are not guided solely by religious zeal or anti-Western sentiment, but by a consistent strategy rooted in its long-standing quest for independence and sovereignty. That quest has taken many different forms over the centuries, but it has always been shaped by Iran’s self-image as both exceptional and isolated. To understand why Iran supports militant networks across the Middle East, why it resists American influence so fiercely, and why it insists on projecting power beyond its borders, Nasr argues we must see the deeper historical logic that underpins its choices.

Iran’s sense of itself as both unique and alone has deep roots. As the only Persian Shia state in a region dominated by Arab and Sunni powers, Iran developed a strong sense of separateness centuries ago. During the Safavid dynasty, which ruled from the early sixteenth to the early eighteenth century, Shiism was made the state religion, a move that distinguished Iran from the Sunni Ottoman Empire to the west and the Mughal Empire to the east. The Safavids enjoyed a period of imperial strength but eventually collapsed, ushering in instability and inviting outside interference. By the nineteenth century, Iran was caught between Russia and Britain, each trying to extend influence. Its survival depended on playing these rivals against each other, but that precarious balancing act taught Iranian leaders that sovereignty could not be taken for granted. Out of this realization came the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, a bold effort by clerics, merchants, and intellectuals to establish rule of law, limit monarchical authority, and guard the nation’s independence. Yet institutions on paper were not enough. What Iran needed was a strong state, able to secure its borders and impose authority at home.

That need brought Reza Khan, later Reza Shah Pahlavi, to power in the 1920s. His military strength expelled foreign troops, suppressed internal uprisings, and centralized rule. For the first time in generations, Iran enjoyed a sense of territorial integrity. Reza Shah modernized the country, invested in infrastructure, and revived national pride, but he also ruled autocratically and left little room for dissent. His reign ended when Allied powers invaded during World War II, forcing him into exile and installing his son, Mohammad Reza Shah. The younger Shah leaned toward Britain and later the United States, drawing Iran closer to Western alliances during the Cold War. But foreign dominance remained an open wound. Neither Soviet communism nor Western liberalism seemed to offer a path suited to Iran’s identity or aspirations. The search for a way to be secure, strong, and independent remained unfinished.

The tension exploded in the early 1950s. Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh attempted to renegotiate Iran’s oil concessions, and when that failed, he nationalized the industry outright. This move infuriated Britain and the United States while raising communist influence at home. In 1953, a coup toppled Mossadegh with foreign encouragement, returning authority to the Shah. This event burned itself into the memory of Iranian politics. It convinced many that Iran’s sovereignty could be stolen by outsiders and that dependence on the West came at a terrible price. The Shah, restored to power, embarked on sweeping reforms under the White Revolution, redistributing land, expanding women’s rights, and pushing rapid industrial growth. But the reforms came with repression, corruption, and suffocation of political freedoms. Oil money fueled modernization but also deepened inequality. The Shah’s closeness to Washington further inflamed resentment.

By the late 1970s, opposition coalesced across ideological divides. Secular nationalists and religious leaders shared a common demand: independence. In exile, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini gave that demand its sharpest voice, insisting that only an Islamic state could guard Iran from domination. When revolution finally toppled the Shah in 1979, Khomeini returned to forge the Islamic Republic. A referendum abolished the monarchy, clerics assumed supreme authority, and anti-Americanism became a defining pillar of policy. The storming of the US embassy and the 444-day hostage crisis turned Iran into Washington’s enemy and cemented Khomeini’s power at home. While the revolution inspired Islamist movements abroad, its leaders remained primarily focused on protecting Iran’s sovereignty.

The crucible that forged Iran’s modern strategy came soon afterward, when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded in 1980. The eight-year Iran–Iraq War devastated the nation but also produced a new doctrine called Sacred Defense. The idea cast the war not only as a military necessity but also as a spiritual and existential struggle. Sacred Defense mobilized the population, tied religious duty to national survival, and embedded the notion that resistance itself was the foundation of security. After the war ended in stalemate in 1988, Iran did not abandon this logic. Instead, it evolved into what came to be known as Forward Defense: the strategy of extending Iran’s reach through allies and proxies to keep threats far from its borders.

Forward Defense became visible in Lebanon, where Iranian support fostered Hezbollah in the wake of Israel’s 1982 invasion. It later extended into Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, creating a network of militias and partners that Tehran could use to project power, deter adversaries, and tie down US influence. For Iranian leaders, every act of confrontation with Washington and its allies was framed as defense. The closer America loomed, the more Iran believed it had to strike first through unconventional means. Yet this strategy also came with heavy costs. By backing militant groups, Iran alienated Arab neighbors, deepened sectarian divides, and invited crushing sanctions and international isolation. In its determination to protect itself, it often amplified the very dangers it sought to avoid.

Nasr shows how this paradox has persisted across decades, through changing presidents and shifting global landscapes. Pragmatic leaders such as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami sought to rebuild the economy, open limited ties with Europe, and present a more moderate face. Their efforts culminated in the 2015 nuclear deal, which briefly reduced tensions. But the US withdrawal in 2018 reinforced hardliners’ conviction that compromise with America was futile. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has remained the custodian of the grand strategy, committed to resistance as the guiding principle, even as domestic discontent has grown.

The Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS reaffirmed Forward Defense as doctrine. In Syria, Iran intervened to save Bashar al-Assad, portraying the fight as protection of holy sites and national security. Against ISIS, Iran coordinated indirectly with the United States, but the struggle also cemented its control over Shia militias across Iraq. Over time, Tehran’s network of partners expanded to Yemen’s Houthis and beyond. In Gaza, support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad helped stall Israeli–Saudi normalization and elevated Iran’s standing among Palestinians. Today, Iran commands a transnational web of fighters stretching from Beirut to Sanaa, giving it influence far greater than its size or economy would otherwise allow.

But the domestic price has been steep. Economic stagnation, shrinking middle classes, inflation, and political repression have left many Iranians disillusioned. Waves of protest, from the Green Movement of 2009 to the demonstrations following Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022, have revealed the widening gulf between state and society. Many citizens question whether endless resistance justifies their hardship. Khamenei insists that sacrifice is necessary to preserve independence, but calls for reform and diplomacy are growing louder. The election of reformist Massoud Pezeshkian in 2024 hinted at the people’s desire for change, though geopolitical crises quickly overshadowed hopes for engagement with the United States.

In the end, Nasr frames Iran’s grand strategy as a hedgehog’s approach - clinging to one big idea, resistance, as the key to survival. While there have been brief moments of adaptation, the leadership has consistently returned to confrontation as its anchor. The question now is whether this strategy, born of historical trauma and shaped by war, will continue to safeguard the Islamic Republic, or whether its inflexibility will leave Iran unable to meet the challenges of a changing world.

"Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History" offers a penetrating look at how centuries of vulnerability, pride, and resistance have fused into a coherent yet costly vision of national security. It shows how Iran’s rulers, from the Constitutional Revolution to the present day, have sought independence above all else, even at the expense of prosperity or popular legitimacy. The book concludes that Iran’s future depends on whether it can move beyond the shadows of its past, or whether resistance will remain both its shield and its burden.

[Mohsin Mirza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a job of laying out the IR’s strategy, the historical moments that underpin their thinking, the centrality of national security for their outlook. It gives the methodology which contrasts sharply with the madness which what is shown in most mainstream media. There are lots of interesting details about the different debates within the IR and the IRGC that have shaped Iran’s actions. You get a great sense of how many missed opportunities there have been for a better relationship between the US and Iran, and with the Iranian government and its people

At the same time, it moves through lots of history in a very brisk manner, focusing on the big picture ideas, so you don’t get the full dramatic portrait that other modern histories of Iran might give you. Others

The book was also published before the 12 Day war and current war. Reading it after those major events is surreal because some of the authors predictions have come to pass (like the elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei). I recommend probably seeking out some of Professor Nasr’s writing on those subsequent events as an epilogue if you read this.

[Matt Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little bit wandering, but helpful and interesting.

[Karthik M · Rating 4 out of 5]

a real eye opener on the politics and big player moves in the Middle East.
book has a lot of repetition on forward defense and sacred defense, but it makes sense given some of the more 'illogical' moves the country of Iran seems to do and also makes clear why all other bigger, more powerful countries are wary of it.
The good thing is the author doesn't recommend his blueprint for the country, but rather just lays it out for the reader to understand the news and op-eds better.

[Umar Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly appreciated Nasr's analyzing of Iran's involvement in the Syrian conflict and sacred and forward defense and the political legacy of Rafsanjani.

[Abdalla Nasef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and does a great job at putting everything into context whilst refuting many of the inaccurate analyses and arguments on Iran and its foreign policy.

Tahrir Podcast interview episode with author: youtu.be/Jq6seKNEahU

[Farheen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll keep it simple. This is not a history book based on facts, please don’t read it as one. I understand the fact that it’s well-written and seemingly well-researched, it’s very easy to consider it factual with little or no biases at all. But, if you know even the slightest about the region, you’ll easily pick the tilt of the author. It’s not said outright in words mostly, it’s in the choice of tone that creeps in without you noticing if you aren’t vigilant enough about it. This is a book of narratives, inevitably full of biases - not surprisingly though as it is written by an Iranian-American author who lives in America and writes primarily for a western audience.

My suggestion to anyone reading this book is please read more books on the subject, especially if you’re not from this region. And, come to your own educated conclusions once you’ve read enough in depth and breadth about it. Reads like these especially that are more analytical can very easily make people biased against or in favour of whatever and whoever they are writing about, and that’s something to be aware of, and double check for through wider reading.

[Nwaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

هذا الكتاب مهم يشرح جيداً كيف يفكر القادة الإيرانيون ولماذا تنخرط إيران في صراعات وحروب مختلفة في الشرق الأوسط.

[Muhammad Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History is the first book by Vali Nasr that I have read. It is a brilliant book and has definitely made me want to explore more of his work. The book traces the evolution of the strategic culture and mindset of a state that has long been trying to find an anchor for both nation-building and state-building. It is not simply a history of democracy versus dictatorship or a struggle for or against revolution; rather, it shows the constant interplay between the imperative of security and the project of state consolidation.

Vali argues that, it is important to see that, like any other state, Iran behaves as a state, and for it the most important interest is survival. During the Shah’s period, it cooperated with the West to achieve this interest; after the revolution, it often went against the West for the same reason. It is ultimately the interest of the state, not ideology alone, that has guided the country. For example, despite its ideological stance, Iran reportedly provided intelligence to Israel before Israel’s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, because Saddam Hussein was seen as an immediate existential threat. Similarly, Iran cooperated with the United States during the invasion of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime, again for security reasons. This focus on pragmatic state interest, however, exists in constant tension with a revolutionary identity that some scholars argue has become constitutive of the state itself. From a Constructivist viewpoint, this ingrained ideology is not merely a tool but a core element of Iran's political identity, making profound pragmatic shifts diplomatically and politically difficult, even when strategically rational.

Unfortunately, the state seems to be stuck in its security dilemmas, a situation exacerbated by its unique political architecture. The Iranian system, or Nezaam, is a hybrid theocratic-republican structure where unelected centers of power—the Supreme Leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Guardian Council—hold ultimate authority. These institutions are the guardians of the revolution's ideological purity and often privilege revolutionary imperatives over conventional state interests. This structure inherently perpetuates the security dilemma, as these bodies gain power, purpose, and resources from a state of perpetual confrontation, both external and internal.

Since the revolution, anti-Americanism, resistance, and independence — and more recently the forward defence policy — have shaped Iran’s security culture. This "forward defense," manifesting in the cultivation of the "Axis of Resistance" across the region, serves a dual purpose: it projects power to deter threats beyond Iran's borders, fulfilling a security interest, while also advancing hegemonic aspirations and exporting revolutionary influence. The perceived successes of the Iran-Iraq War, repeated experiences of what Iran sees as betrayals or backtracking by the U.S., and the growing discontent and widening gap between rulers and ruled have reinforced these tendencies time and again.

But even though the strategy of resistance worked in the past, it now hinders state consolidation and the regime’s legitimacy at home. Economic stagnation, rising unemployment, corruption, and most importantly the discontent among ordinary people all seem linked to the rigid, security-first thinking of those at the helm of affairs. Furthermore, the mantra of self-reliance and non-cooperation with big powers is itself porous. Iran cannot trust or cooperate with the U.S., yet it has become dependent on China financially and on Russia for strategic and military support, despite its own difficult historical experience with Russia.

On the political side, before the revolution there were three major political forces in Iran: the left, the liberals, and the religious right. Over time, the left lost its relevance and many leftists appear to have merged with or moved closer to the liberal camp. Figures like Rafsanjani, Muhammad Khatami, and Rouhani represented governments that believed engagement with the West would help Iran develop. In contrast, the establishment — including the very senior clerics, IRGC, and institutions that have benefited from sanctions — has often opposed such ideas and at times even resorted to coercion to curb movements in favor of liberalization.

To the discredit of the United States, its policies repeatedly weakened the engagement camp in Iran by undermining trust and proving the Supreme Leader’s suspicions “right.” The decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, in particular, seemed like the last nail in the coffin of liberal politics in Iran. If it were not for the evident shortcomings of Ebrahim Raisi’s government, Massoud Pezeshkian, seen again as a more moderate or reform-oriented figure, might not have been elected.

In fact, Iran may have to pragmatically reassess its prospects and adopt a different approach if it wants to achieve economic stability and durable state stabilization. Many people seem to have lost both the sense and the hope that change is possible. Turnout in successive elections has been declining, which shows that people are increasingly indifferent to the political process. Such a situation indicates fragility in any political system and can push sections of society toward more extreme and unpredictable forms of resistance. Despite the appearance of a rigid line from Ali Khamenei, he has shown glimpses of pragmatism, for example in allowing the nuclear deal and in the reconciliation with Saudi Arabia. The future of Iran depends greatly on whether its leadership can exercise real statesmanship, adapt to changing circumstances, and move the country in a new direction — or whether it will remain primarily focused on regime preservation.

As for Vali Nasr, I would say he is a brilliant writer. However, in his critique of U.S. policy he sometimes appears cautious. He documents American missteps but does not always push the critique as far as one might expect. He also notes that many in Iran believe Israel has repeatedly obstructed better U.S.–Iran relations, yet he does not fully explore whether this perception is justified. For greater analytical depth, a more direct engagement with these questions might have strengthened the book. Still, I reserve judgment on calling him biased, since limitations of scope and focus, rather than prejudice, may explain why some issues are not explored more fully.

[Aqeel Haider · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Nonfiction
#Bookworm
📘 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Vali Nasr — an Iranian-American scholar, former Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and trusted adviser on Middle Eastern policy.

In this compelling 2025 release, Nasr argues that modern Iran’s trajectory isn’t defined by a simple democracy vs. dictatorship or religion vs. ideology narrative—it’s fundamentally about security. He shows how historical traumas—from the treaties of Treaty of Golestan and Treaty of Turkmenchay ceding Persian lands to Russia, to the long-shadow of British imperial exploitation—have implanted an enduring fear of territorial vulnerability in Iran’s psyche.

The book then explores how the Pahlavi shah aimed to secure Iran through economic development and regional dominance, only for the 1979 Revolution to radically alter the framework. Iran’s protracted conflict with Iraq becomes a turning point—a doctrine of “sacred defence” and forward defence through proxies, ensuring Western involvement stayed at arm’s length.

Since the Revolution, Iran’s security apparatus has evolved into a dominant force—one that has achieved strategic autonomy but at enormous social and economic cost. Nasr poses the important question: can Iran’s forward-defence policy continue indefinitely—and is the trade-off it demands worth it?

#NonFiction #BookReview #Iran #Recommended #MustRead

[Cooper Kahoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent study of the geopolitical mindset of the Iranian ruling class. Nasr traces the development of Iran’s foreign policy thinking from the Islamic Revolution of 1979 to the nuclear negotiations of the present. Much of the book is spent examining Iran’s doctrine of “sacred defense,” a national security concept that has paradoxically allowed the Islamic Republic to survive to this day, while seemingly inviting new challenges to its survival. Nasr’s analysis eschews lazy stereotypes about Iran’s leaders and instead engages with their arguments on their own terms. In this way, he’s able to both laud the successes of Iran’s grand strategy while also criticizing its limitations. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern affairs.

[Ahmad Alzahrani · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In his seminal book on grand strategy, historian John Lewis Gaddis wrote that in constructing a strategy, a country can act either as a fox or hedgehog.40 “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”41 The choice is between flexibility and adaptability versus steadfast commitment to one big idea. In his unwavering pursuit of resistance as the answer to Iran’s security needs, Khamenei has acted as a hedgehog"

"Khamenei no longer sees the power and legitimacy of the state in being ruled by the clerical hierarchy, with the supreme cleric at its apex. Instead, he understands the legitimacy of the state to be grounded in a security-minded system, dominated by the IRGC, and overseen by a unique leader with the right mix of knowledge of religion and modern statecraft."

[Julian Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read this year, and one of the best books I’ve ever read about Iran. Nasr demonstrates the complexity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, showing that at various times it can alternate from dogmatism to pragmatism to pursue its interests. There is good analysis of Iran’s networks of proxies and how global conflicts like the Gaza and Ukraine wars affect Iran’s status and its regional designs.

[Amir Jabbari · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my view, this is one the best, maybe the best, books written on the history of Iran after the Islamic Revolution

[Sarah Cupitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about to be a bit of a dense sprint read while I procrastinate on shit I need to do
(note to self I may need to re-read parts that went over my head a little from the history recap)

If you’ve been following the Gaza war, you might have come across the term 'Axis of Resistance.' This network of allied militias, spanning from Lebanon to Yemen, is the product of decades of effort by Iran’s political elite. What unites them is their shared goal: driving the US and its allies out of the region for good.

Recently, Iran’s proxy network has united fronts from Lebanon to Gaza under an anti-Israel mission, stalling Saudi-Israeli normalisation and raising Iran’s standing among Palestinians. Given the lack of young people at home, Tehran needs the young soldiers abroad, and has recruited tens of thousands from Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, and Afghanistan into groups like the Fatimiyoun Brigade and Popular Mobilisation Forces.

notes:
- Henry Kissinger believed that Iran’s motives were rooted in religious ideology. That changed in 2015, when he met an Iranian emissary
- To understand the driving forces of modern Iran, we need to understand how Iran sees itself. In that regard, there are two qualities that have come to define Iran’s sense of self: it is both unique and alone.

It is unique because it is the only Persian Shia state in a region dominated by Arab and Turkic Sunni powers. This also ties into why Iran feels alone in the world, but its sense of grandeur and vulnerability goes back to the Safavid dynasty, which lasted from around 1501 to 1722. During this period, a distinctly Persian Shia identity emerged, designed to differentiate Iran from the Sunni Ottoman Empire to the west and the Mughal Empire to the east. Safavid kings enforced Shiism as the state religion and for a while they achieved imperial power, but their subsequent fall in the eighteenth century ushered in a long era of instability and foreign meddling.
- In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Iran faced two different empirical, east-west threats: Russian expansion on the one side and British ambitions on the other. Iran survived in part because these two forces could not agree on how to divide it, allowing Tehran to play them against each other.

- If it was going to survive and remain sovereign, it needed to create a stronger state. So, in 1906 came the Constitutional Revolution, led by an unlikely coalition of merchants, intellectuals, and clerics. They created the region’s first constitution with an aim to limit monarchy, establish rule of law, and safeguard independence
- World War I. In 1921, military officer Reza Khan seized power
- Urged by clerics to restore the monarchy, he became Reza Shah Pahlavi. His reign brought back a sense of territorial integrity, centralized authority, and launched modernization – but also veered into autocracy.

- Reza Shah’s reign was cut short by the onset of World War II, which once again turned Iran into a battleground for global powers. The war devastated Iran’s economy and sovereignty as Britain and the Soviet Union invaded, exiled Reza Shah, and installed his son, Mohammad Reza Shah.

- neither side had answers for Iran’s problems. Neither the communism of the East nor the liberalism of the West suited the leadership of Iran. It seemed they were alone in trying to find the right balance of security, strength, cultural preservation, and development.

- While Iran sided with Britain after World War II, Britain exploited the country through a one-sided oil deal that was unsustainable. In 1951, Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh attempted to renegotiate Iran’s oil deal. When talks failed, he boldly nationalized the oil industry. This dramatic move alienated Britain and the United States while inadvertently boosting communist influence at home.
- As a result, in 1953, Mossadegh was ousted in a coup driven largely by Iranian military actors but encouraged by foreign powers. The Shah seized the opportunity to consolidate his rule and align closely with Washington, paving the way for the 1963 White Revolution, which saw sweeping reforms that included land redistribution, women’s suffrage, and rapid industrialization, but also repression, corruption, and the removal of his political opponents.

In short, while oil wealth fueled rapid development, traditional life was disrupted, political freedoms were tightly restricted, and close ties to America fed resentment. Protests swelled.

- 1978 to plan Iran’s future. Sanjabi’s draft vision called for a democratic and Islamic state, but Khomeini added one more word: “independence” (or esteqlal). That addition became the revolution’s third and most enduring pillar. For Khomeini, an Islamic state was the ultimate shield against foreign domination, rooted in his early experience witnessing Shia resistance to British rule in Iraq. By the 1970s, all factions opposing the Shah – leftist-Marxists, liberal democrats, or devoutly religious – shared the belief that the 1953 coup had stolen Iran’s sovereignty. Once in power, Khomeini aimed to expel US influence entirely and sever ties with Israel, reversing the Shah’s policies.
- A rumor that America planned to reinstall the Shah led leftist university students to storm the US embassy, sparking a 444-day hostage crisis.

- Iran’s new leadership, led by figures like Ali Khamenei and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, had a foreign policy that could be summed up in the motto “Neither East nor West.” Independence from both Cold War superpowers was the aim. They resisted turning the Islamic Revolution of 1979 into a global cause. After all, in 1980, their attention was soon on their invading neighbor, Iraq.

- Following the Iran-Iraq War, the sacred defense policy changed to a similar strategy, known as Forward Defense. Following the ‘79 revolution, Iran was now the Islamic Republic. Part of its foundational principles was to back Islamist causes in the region, but this wasn’t goodwill on the part of Khomeini, it was still a matter of strategy and survival – of defense.
- Iran’s support was most successful in Lebanon. Shia activism there, boosted by Iran’s post-revolution networks, transformed into Hezbollah, especially after Israel’s 1982 invasion. This gave Tehran a powerful foothold in the Arab world and a way to confront both Israel and the US directly. In the Forward Defense mindset: as long as America and its allies were in the region, they were a threat to Iran. The closer the US got, the more likely it was to try to orchestrate another regime change.

-But backing Islamist causes often came with isolating and unhelpful side effects. Iran’s actions alienated neighbors like Saudi Arabia, thereby pushing them towards a US-backed regional alignment against it. Even during the Iran-Iraq War, Gulf monarchies were terrified of Iran’s revolution spreading beyond its borders, so they helped bankroll Saddam’s war effort.

- When the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988, neither side won
- But the war also left Iran depleted and in need of rebuilding. So, for the next sixteen years, two pragmatic and reform-minded presidents made progress in developing the nation and rebuilding infrastructure
- The presidential efforts toward international diplomacy reached its peak in the 2015 nuclear deal that briefly eased sanctions. But the US withdrawal in 2018 effectively closed that opening and reignited Iran’s anti-American furor
- When protests erupted against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2011, Iran saw a direct threat to their strategy of keeping dangers far from its borders. Iran deployed troops, Hezbollah fighters, and Shia militias, framing the war as defense of holy sites and national security.

- Another threat arose in 2014, in the form of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria, better known as ISIS. With its anti-Shia brutality, and the very real danger of their taking over Iraq, fighting ISIS had so much domestic support that Iran even coordinated indirectly with the US in their military efforts.
-iran’s involvement in Syria also resulted in a strategic partnership with its old nemesis, Russia. Iran went on to provide drone and missile support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. But Tehran also benefited from joint trade projects, and a sanctions-resistant corridor from the Black Sea to the Arabian Sea.

- Iran armed and trained the Houthis, who by 2020 controlled Sanaa and threatened both Saudi and Emirati cities. By mid-decade, Iran’s influence extended to Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and Sanaa, underpinned by a growing missile arsenal for deterrence and proxy empowerment. Missile strikes on US bases in Iraq and on Israel demonstrated their capability.
- Iran’s forward defense strategy has made strides over the past couple decades in increasing its influence in the region. However, it always comes at a cost. While the hardliners may believe that isolation is forever part of Iran’s identity, and that militant aggression is necessary for survival, this hasn’t inspired Iranians with hope for the future.
- as daily life becomes increasingly difficult, more Iranians question whether endless 'resistance' is worth the cost.
- The 2022 movement exposed deep cracks: reformists, moderates, and pragmatic government veterans began openly questioning whether unyielding resistance was sustainable.
- There have been brief flashes of fox-like adaptability, such as Iran achieving a détente with Saudi Arabia in 2023. The pressing question is whether Khamenei will heed the voices of the Iranian people and adapt, or if his steadfast commitment to an outdated strategy will render the nation too inflexible to face future challenges.

[LENGDUNG TUNGCHAMMA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decades of listening to Western media made me believe that Iran was an irrational state. A country driven more by ideology than strategy.

It was only recently, during the war of the past year, that I began to peel back the layers.

And once you do that, the picture changes.

Of course, it makes sense for Westerners, especially Americans, to present Iran that way. Iranian leadership has called America “the Great Satan.” Iranian media returns the favor in its own language. Two rivals, locked in decades of hostility, speaking about each other in unforgiving terms. That is expected.

But if you want to understand a country, you must go beyond what it says in anger. You must look at what it does in moments of interest.

And when you do that, Iran begins to look less like a mad actor and more like a calculating one.

In 2001, Iran supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Iranian diplomats worked closely with American officials to help establish the post-Taliban government. Between 2014 and 2017, Iran and the United States found themselves on the same side in the fight against ISIS. Even earlier, during the Iran-Contra affair in 1985, the two countries quietly cooperated when it suited them.

This is not the behavior of a state that does not understand power.
This is where Vali Nasr’s Iran’s Grand Strategy comes in.
Nasr’s central argument is simple, but powerful. Iran is not irrational. It is strategic. Its actions, however controversial, are rooted in history, shaped by trauma, and guided by a consistent objective, survival through independence.

And to understand that, you cannot begin in 1979.

For Americans, Iran’s story often starts with the revolution. For Iranians, it begins earlier. It began centuries ago. For modern Iran, 1953 is an important date. That was when Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had nationalized Iran’s oil, was overthrown in a coup backed by the United States and Britain.
That moment changed everything.

It did not just remove a leader. It altered the trajectory of a nation. It planted a deep suspicion of foreign intervention. It told Iranians that even their choices could be undone by outside powers.
Nasr returns to this moment again and again, because Iran never forgot it.

By the time 1979 came, the revolution was not just about religion or ideology. It was also about reclaiming sovereignty. But it also marked the collapse of Iran’s relationship with the United States.
Even then, Nasr cautions against seeing it as a single turning point. What followed was not inevitable. It was shaped by decisions on both sides.

Take the hostage crisis.
It is often presented as proof of Iranian irrationality. But Nasr adds layers to the story. The embassy takeover was not even the first attempt in that period. The second takeover was initially meant to be temporary, a symbolic act that would allow Ayatollah Khomeini to deny direct responsibility and later resolve it.
Instead, it spiraled into 444 days.

And during those 444 days, everything hardened. Khomeini used the crisis to consolidate power, sideline moderates, and define the revolution in anti-American terms. The United States, for its part, attempted a rescue mission that failed disastrously. Trust collapsed completely.

There is a line that captures the Iranian mindset during that crisis. One of the students told a captured American diplomat, “You have no right to complain. You took our whole country hostage in 1953.”
You may reject the argument. But you cannot say you do not understand where it is coming from.

Then came the event that, more than anything else, defined modern Iran.

The Iran-Iraq War.

On September 22, 1980, Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. What followed was nearly a decade of brutal war. And this war, Nasr argues, is the true foundation of Iran’s current worldview.
It did three things.

First, Iran survived. And survival, against overwhelming odds, was interpreted as validation. To many within the regime, it was proof that the revolution had divine backing.

Second, it deepened distrust of the West. The United States and European powers supported Iraq in various ways. They did little as Saddam used chemical weapons. For Iran, this confirmed that international norms were selective, and that it stood alone.

Third, it transformed Iran into a security state. Institutions like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rose to prominence. The IRGC did not just become a military force. It became an economic, political, and social powerhouse. Its influence still defines Iran today.

Many of Iran’s key leaders, from Qasem Soleimani to Ali Khamenei, were shaped by that war. It was their crucible. Their reference point. Their lesson in how the world works.

This is one of Nasr’s most important contributions. He shows that while outsiders define Iran by 1979, Iran defines itself by the war that followed.

And from that experience came a doctrine.
Never be vulnerable again.

That doctrine explains much of Iran’s behavior since. Its involvement in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Its support for non-state actors. Its constant emphasis on deterrence. Its deep suspicion of diplomacy that is not backed by strength.
It is not random. It is structured.

At the same time, Nasr does not reduce Iran to its leadership. He pays close attention to its society. He shows the constant push and pull between hardliners, pragmatists, and reformists. He shows a population that is often more open, more dynamic, and more restless than the state that governs it.

Reading this, you begin to see Iran not as a monolith, but as a contested space. A country still negotiating with itself. I was surprised by how strong elections in Iran could be.

And it is here that I must say something personal.
I do not believe the Iranian Revolution was the best thing that happened to Iran.
But I cannot say I do not understand it.
I strongly disagree with many of the actions the Iranian state has taken since then. And more than that, I think it has not been the best for the Iranian people. They are a people of deep history, culture, and intellectual richness. They deserve better. They deserve to be in the first class of the world.

At the same time, I do not support the current actions of the United States toward Iran.

And that is ultimately what makes Nasr’s book so valuable.
It does not ask you to agree with Iran.
It asks you to understand it.

Nasr shows that Iran does not just see itself as a state. It sees itself as a resistance state.

A country that exists in opposition. Not just to the United States, but to a global order it believes is structured against it.
This identity gives Iran strength. It creates resilience. It allows it to endure pressure that might break other nations.
But it also raises a difficult question. At what cost?
Because resistance is not free.

From this perspective, you begin to understand why many U.S. presidents have been cautious about taking on Iran directly. It is not just about military capability. It is about mindset.
Iran has designed itself to absorb pain.
It learned this during the Iran-Iraq War, when it sent waves of young men to the front lines, knowing the cost, accepting it. For Iran’s leadership, that war was not just a conflict. It was a lesson. A brutal, defining lesson that survival sometimes demands everything.

And since then, the message has been clear.
This is a state that would rather endure hardship, isolation, even devastation, than exist as a dependent power. It is a state that has convinced itself, and perhaps its people, that the price of independence is always worth paying.
That belief shapes everything.
It shapes its nuclear posture.
It shapes its regional strategy.
It shapes its refusal to bend, even when bending might bring relief.

And yet, none of this means change is impossible.
It only means that change requires something rare.
Imagination. Imagination on all sides.
A level of leadership that can see beyond history without ignoring it. That can recognize mutual fears without feeding them. That can break cycles without pretending they never existed.
That kind of imagination has been lacking.
In Tehran.
In Washington.
And yes, in Tel Aviv as well.
Israel has, understandably, come to see Iran as its most significant threat in the region. Iran, in turn, sees Israel in much the same way. Two states locked in a mirror image of fear and calculation.
And between them, a region that bears the consequences.

As the war rages on, the immediate headline can miss the historical antecedents. For the US/Israel, victory would require eliminating the entire state. For Iran, survival is victory. This is not just a battle of bombs, it is a battle of strategies.

[Ali Al-kanaani · Rating 5 out of 5]

بالنسبة لشخص مهتم بالجمهورية الإسلامية، لا يأتي الكتاب بالكثير. لكن لغير المهتمين هذا كتاب ممتاز، مكتوب طريقة سهلة وسرد تاريخي -ربما استفدت منه اكثر من غيري- رائع.

[Bassam Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب أكاديمي مهم لولي نصر، الأستاذ (الأمريكي من أصول إيرانية) في العلاقات الدولية ودراسات الشرق الأوسط في كلية الدراسات الدولية المتقدمة بجامعة جونز هوبكنز، بعنوان "Iran Grand Strategy: a Political History"
الصادر سنة ٢٠٢٥ ، والذي، لأهميته للقارئ العربي، سعت دار هاشم للكتب والنشر مشكورة، لترجمته في ذات سنة صدوره، وقد عني بنقله إلى العربية المترجم أحمد ع. محسن بترجمة جيدة جدا أتاحت للقارئ العربي الاطلاع على هذا الإنتاج القيم في مجال التحليل والقراءة الاستراتيجية للأحداث السياسية في منطقة غرب آسيا.

يعد الكتاب أحد أهم ما كتب منذ آخر ٢٥ سنة في التحليل السياسي والإستقراء الاستراتيجي لتاريخ وسياسة إيران في القرنين العشرين والواحد والعشرين، كتاب جمع كل من الرصانة والموضوعية والدقة الأكاديمية من جهة، وإمتاع السرد السلس واللغة البسيطة التي لا تستعصي على القارئ الغير متخصص، ولا تخيب ظن المتخصصين في مجال السياسة والعلاقات الدولية. كما تتأتى أهميته كذلك من شمولية الطرح وعمقه، قرب تاريخ صدوره (صدر وترجم في السنة الماضية ٢٠٢٥) وكذلك من شح المؤلفات الرصينة الصادرة باللغة العربية والتي تتناول الشأن الإيراني، بعيدا عن الإنحياز الأيديولوجي أو الخضوع لمعطيات البروباغندا الرسمية للدول، الشح الذي ترك العربي الساعي للفهم في حيرة من أمره  في ظل سياسات الإستقطاب المحمومة، والإرهاب والتصعيد العسكري في المنطقة (الذي كانت إيران طرفا محويا فيه) إبتداء من حرب الإبادة الصهيونية على غزة في ٨ أكتوبر ٢٠٢٣ وليس إنتهاءا بالعدوان الصهيوني-الأمريكي على إيران في ٢٨ فبراير ٢٠٢٦، العدوان الإرهابي السافر الذي فتح على المنطقة حربا سموم لم يسلم منها شعب ولا دولة من دول المنطقة، حرب وجودية، لا تقيم وزنا للخطوط الحمر، بمفهوم "كسر العظم" ومفهوم "نكون أو لا نكون" بالنسبة لكل من إيران والكيان الصهيوني على أقل تقدير.

من الإرهاصات والتنبؤات التي ذكرت في الكتاب الصادر سنة ٢٠٢٥ (علنا أو تلميحا):
- حتمية التأزم والدخول في حرب في حال لم يتم التوصل إلى اعادة العمل بإتفاق نووي أقسى على إيران من سابقه. (وقد حدث في ٢٨ فبراير ٢٠٢٦)
- خلافة مجتبى خامنئي لأبيه في منصب القيادة الدينية في إيران. (وقد حدث في ٩ مارس ٢٠٢٦)

أما أبرز ما ميز الطرح فهو الربط التاريخي في التحليل، وتبيان دور كل المراحل والأحداث المفصلية في الماضي القريب (كالثورة الدستورية في بداية القرن العشرين، أو الانقلاب على الديمقراطية وازاحة مصدق بعملية استخباراتية أمريكية سنة ١٩٥٣ او الحرب العراقية الإيرانية من ١٩٨٠ الى ١٩٨٨، الإتفاق النووي في ٢٠١٥، للذكر لا الحصر) في تشكيل العقلية والاستراتيجية في السنوات اللاحقة، مع الدمج بين العوامل السياسية والاقتصادية والإجتماعية والثقافية في المقاربة المنتقاة لتبيان التناقضات الداخلية للتيارات المؤثرة ضمن صراعاتها على توجيه الدفة ورسم السياسة الوطنية ببراغماتية لتحقيق الهدف الاستراتيجي الثابت والأهم من المنظور الإيراني (الحفاظ على الإستقلال عن النفوذ الأجنبي وضمان الأمن الوطني والذي يقتضي كما ترى إيران طرد النفوذ الأمريكي من الاقليم).

استراتيجيات كالدفاع المتقدم (الحروب بالوكالة)، التدخل في دول الإقليم، خوض الحروب الهجينة، تشكيل التحالفات مع القوى الساعية للانفكاك عن النفوذ الامبريالي الأمريكي (كروسيا والصين) وتبني اذكاء الحماس الأيديولوجي كباعث متجدد لضمان الحد اللازم من التأييد الشعبي اللازم لاستدامة سياسات مقاومة "الاستكبار" والمعارك المكلفة مع الإمبريالية الأمريكية.

ورغم أن المؤلف ذو نزوع غربي ليبرالي وانتماء قومي فارسي (وهي غالبا التركيبة الثقافية لطيف المعارضة الإيرانية المعتدلة والمتطرفة في الخارج) إلا أن هذا النزوع وهذه الإنحيازات لم تؤثر تأثيرا يذكر على الحيادية والموضوعية النسبيين للمؤلف في طرحه العلمي المتزن في هذا الكتاب، كما أن كم المراجع المعرفية المتنوعة التي استند اليها المؤلف اشتملت وعكست كل وجهات النظر وزوايا الرؤية للأطياف السياسية المعنية بالشأن الايراني، من المحافظين المتشددين، والمحافظين المعتدلين، والليبراليين المحليين والخارجيين المعارضين، والمنظور الخارجي للمتخصصين الأكاديميين ولمثلي مصالح دول الغرب والدول الإقليمية، فيما يتعلق بمبررات وتبعات الاستراتيجية والتكتيات العسكرية، والحروب الهجينة والدبلماسية الايرانية في محيطها الاقليمي والدولي.

كتاب مفتاحي في فهم كيف تدار إيران من الداخل، مراكز الثقل السياسي، الاقتصادي والأيديولوجي، والعقيدة السياسية المسيطرة على المنظومة الحاكمة، وطبيعة الصراعات الداخلية والتحديات الخارجية، كما يعين أصحاب التخصص في مجالات العلوم السياسية وعلوم العلاقات الدولية، أو المثقفين الساعين إلى فهم المشهد، على قراءة الحاضر بتبصر واستشراف ما قد يحدث في المستقبل القريب نتيجة التجاذبات الإقليمية والى توقع الكيفية (الخيارات السياسية) التي ستتصرف بها إيران في معرض الاستجابة، أي يعينهم على فهم الإستراتيجية الإيرانية.

شديد الأهمية. 

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vali Nasr's Iran's Grand Strategy is an excellent and timely book, and certainly one that anyone who's interested in the Middle East should read. Nasr's points are clearly articulated and his arguments are strong. Reading this book makes it clear that American politicians completely misapprehend the Islamic Republic, and perhaps even more importantly, it subtly suggests a vision for what a different world -- a different Iran and a different America -- might look like.

Nasr begins with a straightforward, incisive account of Iranian history. Beginning with the Safavid Empire and the British/Russian imperial presence in Iran is a smart choice, showing how the modern Iranian regime is partially rooted in the last several hundred years of Iranian lived experience. Nasr connects this to the 20th century and the Iranian Revolution by focusing on the drive for independence: even more important to Khomeini than opposing the United States or establishing a theocracy was becoming truly independent from outside forces.

Likewise, the book does an excellent job explaining Iran's strategic choices as a rational (though often self-defeating) effort to assert independence and defeat any chance of regime change, either internally or externally imposed. Far from the dominant American perception of the Islamic Republic as an unhinged, extremist religious force, he shows Iran to be a country constantly in debate with itself. Just as hard-liners seek to entrench the IRGC within the Iranian economy and develop complete independence from the West, so do reformists argue for greater ties with the West and integration into the global economy.

Most crucially, Nasr shows how this tug-of-war has influenced Iranian politics in the 21st century and how the Iranian people have remained consistently unhappy with the ruling regime. President Rouhani and the negotiation of the JCPOA were largely concessions to reformists, the hopeful first step towards a revolution in Iranian foreign policy. And America's subsequent actions -- unilaterally withdrawing from the JCPOA, imposing "maximum pressure" sanctions, and assassinating an Iranian general -- increased the hard-liners' power and incentivized Iran to push harder for nuclear weapons. So much of U.S. policy toward Iran in the last several years has been utterly unmoored from reality, ignorant of Iranian domestic politics and evidently self-defeating. And especially now, in the wake of the most brazen U.S. action against Iran since the 1953 coup, this is a crucial and deeply under-discussed message.

This book doesn't attempt to suggest any path forward for Iran or the U.S., and recent events since its publication seem to push a real resolution ever further into the distant future. But just by painting this picture, Nasr suggests how different an Iranian foreign policy, and by extension a U.S.-Iran relationship, could look. If the JCPOA had been upheld and Iranians had felt the economic benefits of sanctions relief, perhaps the regime may have felt further pressure to liberalize and open to the West. If the U.S. stood behind its stated intent to disengage from the Middle East and abandon Iranian regime change, maybe the IRGC's domestic power would abate and Iran might be more willing to relax its proxy military forces.

These ideas have been missing for too long from U.S. foreign policy, and especially since the last few years have only further intensified Iran's nuclear advancements and proxy warfare, policy-makers ought to reckon deeply with them. This is why Iran's Grand Strategy is such a timely book, and why Vali Nasr has written a tremendously insightful work of history and politics. Accordingly, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in foreign policy or the Middle East.

[Diogo H. Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iran’s Grand Strategy is an exceptionally lucid and intellectually serious book. What makes it especially impressive is the depth Vali Nasr achieves in roughly 300 pages: this is not a narrow account of contemporary Iranian foreign policy, but a compact political history of the modern Iranian state, its strategic anxieties, its ideological evolution, and its long confrontation with both external powers and internal contradictions.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is that it refuses simplistic explanations. Nasr does not treat Iran merely as a revolutionary state driven by slogans, nor as a purely opportunistic regional actor. Instead, he shows how Iranian strategy emerged from a layered historical experience: state-building, imperial pressure, the memory of foreign intervention, the 1979 Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, and the enduring tension between nationalism, Shi’a political identity, and regime survival. That wider historical framing is precisely what gives the book its force.

The discussion of anti-Americanism is particularly strong. Rather than presenting it as mere propaganda or emotional hostility, Nasr situates it within a longer pattern of political grievance, strategic distrust, and ideological consolidation. The result is a more serious and persuasive interpretation: anti-Americanism appears not simply as rhetoric, but as part of the Islamic Republic’s political language of legitimacy, resistance, and self-definition. Whether one agrees with that posture or not, the book makes clear that it has historical roots and strategic functions.

Equally compelling is the way Nasr handles religion. He does not reduce Iranian politics to theology, but neither does he dismiss religion as decorative ideology. The book shows how religion operates as a source of authority, mobilisation, conflict, and state identity, while also interacting constantly with power politics, elite competition, and national interest. The various struggles over religion—its meaning, its political use, its institutional power, and its place within the state—are presented as central to understanding Iran’s trajectory. This makes the book far richer than a standard geopolitical study.

Another major virtue is balance. Nasr writes with clarity and interpretive confidence, but without flattening complexity. He explains the revolutionary state, the clerical order, the regional ambitions of Iran, and its deep sense of insecurity in a way that is accessible without becoming superficial. The prose is controlled, the argument is coherent, and the historical compression is remarkably effective.

This is the kind of book that improves the reader’s judgment. It does not ask for sympathy toward the Iranian regime, but it does demand seriousness in how Iran is understood. For anyone interested in the modern Islamic state, anti-American political identity, Middle Eastern political history, or the enduring struggles between religion, nationalism, and strategy, this is an outstanding work. Dense in substance, disciplined in argument, and highly illuminating from beginning to end.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging book. I listened to it randomly thinking it would be quite poor, but I love reading stuff few have reviewed. This surprised me very positively.

The language is clean, points direct, analysis clear, and arguments seem valid. It's a good little intro to Iran and their goals. Post the Shia coup in Iran Saddam Hussein in Iraq felt they were too weak now to keep Kurds in check. Meaning they could gain power and also create their own nation in Iraq afterwards. He started a long-term war that now defined Iran as a war nation always on edge. They though USA helped Iraq. Now all they do is against USA and even their nuclear bomb development is only to have stronger cards in a negotiation with USA nothing else. The author notes various liberal and conservative movements. But nothing much changes as they still see the need to work with Russia and China against USA. The population is angry yet leadership doesn't care.

There are also quite a few logical issues here. The author never dares to criticize anyone so no point is fully explored. Israel is seldom mentioned and never explored which is a giant error. At one point the author notes that Iran was opening up to all, except Israel. Why not Israel specifically? He never explains. All we know is that Israel is Western and Iran fears the West after their wars. That's it? The author skips 99% of the story here. What about Holocaust denial?

The author also loves to analyze things which is always done cleanly, but over half the book is opinions not history. It becomes his opinion piece. The modern history of Iran is not fully explored here you need to read another book for that.

It also feels that he just repeats his narrow ideas. We don't even get an explanation for WHY Iran hates USA. He claims they do and so they react a certain way. Do they hate other nations like Israel to the same degree? And what about their war with Saudi Arabia? It's not easy to understand why they start specific wars. Why did China and Russia not agree with them on the islands they annexed from UAE in 1971? Even Arab nations are saying Iran stole these islands. But we don't get an explanation. Why would the nation that delivers weapons to Russia to use against Ukraine not get support back in any way? We are a bit perplexed about historical elements as he adores to interpret things instead of explaining them clearly and factually.

The "why" not being explained is a lingering issue. One could use psychology theories or some historical concepts at least. I don't think that's out of order. If you think it's too biased then try to pick a few different theories. Or become an expert on that stuff too. This is a long opinion piece. It's very good, but I like history more.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unpersuasive, poor research, and doesn't explain things well
Starts off referencing Nixon doctrine five times, without explaining it, as if we would all know what that is. This is not a history, despite the title, its all over the place, doesn't explain things, no context

The islamic revolution, one of the central points in modern Iranian history is described like this: The trigger came in November 1977, when security forces clashed
with seminarians in Qom who had gathered to commemorate the death
of Ayatollah Khomeini’s son. The Shah made things worse by
sanctioning the publication of an incendiary article attacking Khomeini
in a leading newspaper in January 1978.5 The next day, large protests
in Qom led to the death of some of the protesters.6 Next, the
commemoration of those deaths in Tabriz invited fresh clashes and
more casualties. Thereafter, every funeral and commemoration resulted
in new casualties and hence an occasion for further protests. As crowds
at the protests grew larger, the Shah, caught off guard, proved out of
ideas how to gain control of the situation. He swung between
appeasement and crackdown, but neither worked. The Shah’s
appeasement was simply too little too late; on the other hand, he was
never prepared to resort to the kind of scorched-earth crackdown that
successfully contained subsequent revolts in the Arab world. His
legitimacy quickly eroded, and the balance of power shifted to the
opposition. Eventually the Shah left for exile,"

Wut? I feel like I need another book, because that was lazy, imprecise and told me little.

So the little event when some Americans were stuck inside for awhile, is considered a grandiosely important event, and gets more explanation then the revolution itself. I'd call this a ridiculous bias towards American affairs. This is a book that is supposed to be about Iran, but its really not Iran-centric, its super Western in its orientation. I did not choose to read "Iran and the West" - I was expecting more of an Iran-centric book, so this was not valuable. I would not recommend it.

Shoddy grammar "Liberals forces"

Not a great book imho, I didn't think the author is smart, insightful and he is obviously wildly biased. Overrated hot garbage.

[Sarthak Bhatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Victim of Their Own Success

If I were to summarize what I got from this book, that would be it.

The book starts with the author describing a conversation between Kissinger and a high-ranking Iranian official about how the US-Iran rivalry could end. The Iranian official — a bachelor's in CS and a PhD in philosophy — quotes Kant and mentions that both powers would come to peace only when they had exhausted themselves. That official was Dr. Ali Larijani.

Dr. Larijani is now dead, killed in an Israeli decapitation strike. By every account I read of him in this book, he appeared to be a moderate and a very reasonable person, unlike his counterparts in Israel — Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who are literal Nazis — but I'll leave it at that.

On the Forward Defense doctrine: whether it was a good or bad idea, I don't have the brain to fully process it, but it worked really, really well for Iran. The Houthis and Hezbollah kept Israel and the GCC countries at bay, cutting them down to size when required. I'll argue it kept Israel from becoming a regional hegemon and stopped the project of Greater Israel — but at what cost? Was it really necessary to pick a fight in Yemen and face the wrath of the Saudis? And Syria — was it worth the economic deprivation at home just to maintain a buffer state against the West and Israel? I don't know the answers to these questions. The book left me with more questions than answers.


Now, with the war ongoing and Khamenei and Larijani both dead, what happens next? Iran is clearly winning here — but how bad could this get? I think it gets very, very bad. So bad that Israel would probably nuke Tehran.

The author ends the book with a note on Khamenei: that on several occasions he stated that Iran was ending the unipolar moment, bringing the US down. In recent days I believe this is true, so Khamenei died believing it too — his civilization-state breaking the American back.

What a depressing time to be alive.

[Ibrahim Abdullahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It provides a rich picture of the Islamic Republic, revealing its complexities beyond the caricature of the country portrayed in the West.

Far from North Korea's like total dictatorship, Iran is a politically dynamic society where debates and political tensions exist within the narrow limits set by the government, with power distributed across different branches of the state. Iran's society is even more pluralistic than the dictatorships across the Persian Gulf where a small circle of elite or families control society and economy.

The book also paints a picture of how the country has been left with little choice than be to trapped in the same mindset of resistance that shaped the 1979 revolution and Iran-Iraq war. Iran sees itself as surrounded by hostile Arab and Israeli neighbors, backed by the US, who seek not peaceful coexistence with it but its total capitulation. This is evident in the Arab and Israeli opposition to the hard won JCPOA deal in which Iran made serious concessions on its nuclear program, and the refusal of the US to fully fully uphold its commitments, culminating in its withdrawal from the agreement.

Its modest attempts at engagement and breaking away from this mindset of resistance have been betrayed, further reinforcing this mindset of resistance and discrediting the political factions favoring more engagements with the West.

With 90 million people - more than the population of the other Persian Gulf countries combined - immense natural resources, expansive landmass, Iran's enemies have no choice but to find a way to live with it. I pray the Iranians find peace in a way that does not strip them of their dignity.

[Xavier Ruiz Trullols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written and insightful book that does an excellent job of putting Iran’s foreign and security policy into historical perspective. Vali Nasr offers a comprehensive look at Iran from the fall of the Shah to the present, tracing how the country’s leadership has consistently navigated survival, power and influence in a hostile regional and global landscape.

What I appreciated most is how Nasr challenges simplistic portrayals of Iran as driven purely by ideology. Instead, he convincingly argues that Iran’s strategy is rooted in its historical experience: a mix of imperial competition, foreign intervention and the enduring goal of maintaining sovereignty.

The 1979 Revolution and especially the brutal Iran-Iraq War emerge as key turning points in shaping Iran’s worldview and defense posture. Nasr also doesn’t shy away from examining the domestic toll of this strategy, including the impact of sanctions, economic hardship and international isolation on Iranian society.

That said, it’s a pity there isn’t a new edition that covers the major developments of 2025 and early 2026, from Israel’s unprecedented military strike to the widespread protests and the regime’s bloody crackdown. These events have undoubtedly shaken the Islamic Republic and would offer new material for analysis within the same framework Nasr presents so effectively.

Overall, a highly recommended read for anyone seeking to understand the logic behind Iran’s actions on the global stage, beyond the headlines.

[Arta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like Nasr set out to write an account of the Iranian security state’s outlook and motivations through a realist lens without delving too deep into their guiding moral principles and ideologies. His opinions (and notable lack thereof) are sprinkled throughout the book, but it comes through most strongly in the end, where it appears that he basically appraises Resistance to be a failure mixed bag, in the long-term, and encourages the IR to adopt a more practical approach towards the US, which is fair enough, but he doesn’t call what’s happening to Gaza a genocide, because I guess that would have reoriented the focus of his book, and also maybe because he doesn’t believe it, so I gotta dock a point for that.

Another thing looming over the whole book was the fact that it was obviously written and published before the so-called “12-Day War,” but I guess that’s just unlucky.

All-in-all, it’s a good intro for someone interested in the perspective that the Iranian state is a rational actor with its own set of interests and internally-disputing factions. Also helps me understand what my cousins are talking about and why they resent the Palestinian cause so much.

[Christopher Gagliardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vali Nasr in “Iran’s Grand Strategy” did what many similar books fail to do: take an idea that could be an article in Foreign Affairs and give it the depth required for a book.

Setting it apart is that at its core it is a history boo, and a strong one at that. The central argument of the book is made by the history, with an incredible level of depth. It is essentially an argument that makes itself through the presented history.

I appreciated how Dr. Nasr kept terms in Persian, it is always an addition I welcome to books on Iran (however, I would’ve loved it even more if script was in the parentheses alongside the transliteration!).

One of the most profound takeaways I had from the book came near the end, with the discussion comparing the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests to the Green Movement, and how sanctions have muted Iranians’ ability to protest. This point goes unmentioned in most other literature about how sanctions against Iran have hurt civilians. Unfortunately, this discussion left me wanting more - and by more - I of course mean another book by Dr. Nasr.

آفرین

[Yair Atlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A key value of the book is as follows: responsible geopolitical policy is founded on understanding the way a country reasons. This book, then, is focused on using Iranian history as a way to understand the thinking of the Islamic Republic. The history focuses mostly on the revolution onwards, with the exception one sprawling chapter on what came before 1979. Nasr argues that national defense and the fear of external influence are the chief motivating factors of the Islamic Republic. However, just like humans, countries have their fair share of internal contradictions and inconsistent motivations which force compromise. So we learn about all these forces: the obdurate defenders of sacred and forward defense and the moderates seeking compromise and more engagement with the west (despite how difficult the United States makes this for them). While this book was written before key events (the fall of Assad and the recent Israel-Iran war), this is a key book to anyone who wants to understand where the middle east will go in the decades to come.