No Compromise with the "Great Satan"? Anti-Westernism and the Ontological Limits of Reconciliation in US-Iran Relations

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Göksel O.

UPA Strategic Affairs, cilt.7, sa.3, ss.262-286, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

This article examines the role of anti-Westernism in the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran. While much of the literature on US–Iran relations emphasizes strategic rivalry, nuclear proliferation or regional power politics, this study argues that the persistence of conflict is rooted in the identity structure of the Iranian revolutionary state. Drawing on the concept of ontological security, originally developed by Anthony Giddens and later adapted to International Relations (IR) by Jennifer Mitzen, the article contends that anti-Westernism functions as a constitutive element of the regime’s political ontology. Since the 1979 Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini, opposition to Western hegemony—particularly the US (United States)—has served as a key narrative legitimizing the Islamic regime in Tehran. This ideological orientation has been institutionalized through political structures, elite socialization and state discourse, embedding resistance to the West within Iran’s political culture. As a result, diplomatic compromise with the US risks destabilizing the regime’s decades-long narratives and undermining its ideological legitimacy. The article argues that this ontological constraint has led to repeated failures of rapprochement with the US—including the fragility of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—and ultimately to the escalation culminating in the 2026 Iran War. By analyzing the interaction between regime identity and foreign policy behavior, the article contributes to broader debates on ideology, ontological security and the persistence of international conflict.