The reformist and conservative wings of Iran’s political elite and ruling class converge around former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Driven by imperial aspirations to retrieve Iran’s historical strategic orbit, the 1979 regime developed its geopolitical narrative by fusing imperial and ideological ambitions together under the slogan of “exporting the revolution.” Throughout these decades, however, it has always denied having any expansionist goals, presenting its actions as a reflection of Iran’s “natural position.”
Zarif was visibly agitated at the Doha Forum. Iran’s most famous diplomat has been the moderate face of Iran, but he took a hawkish tone. Presenting a new narrative of Iran’s regional interventions over the past few, justifying Iran’s foreign policy in moral terms by linking its actions to major Arab causes, especially the Palestinian cause, to refuse the claim that it has been pursuing an imperial project concealed by ideology.
Although he acknowledged that Iran has paid a “heavy price” for supporting proxies, he argued that Iran has not exploited them for its own benefit: they fought for their own causes, not for Tehran. Zarif seemingly gaffed and contradicted himself: he acknowledged the failures of this approach but refused to acknowledge that Iran is weak. Reverting back to hyperbolic rhetoric, he said that his country is the strongest in the region and called on Arab and regional states to unite against Israel, “the disease of our region.”
It is clear that Zarif and his regime are in crisis. Iran has lost much of its geopolitical influence as a result of a direct confrontation with Israel; the first round weakened Iran and simultaneously isolated Tel Aviv. Accordingly, Israel’s hubris can no longer be tolerated, and Tehran has lost its place in the region’s traditional triangle (Iran–Türkiye–Israel), with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan taking its place.
This shift explains Zarif’s agitation and his attempts to pre-empt the nascent political trajectories of the region. His speech did not merely seek to justify actions of the past; it was also a defense of future Iranian influence. As regional alliances shift, this was a last-ditch effort to persuade the region that Iran was not pursuing a religious-nationalist to dominate others; but a country that had been “wronged” defending itself and its neighbors.
Zarif also addressed his domestic audience in this new narrative that breaks with the traditional revolutionary discourse. Despite acknowledging the costs Iran has incurred because of this discourse, as well as the suffering it has caused at home, these costs are no longer in “moral” terms. Rather than a duty to “resist;” its posture was taken out of strategic necessity.
In sum, Zarif reformulated the Iranian narrative at the Doha Forum. Rebuffing demands that Iran curb its regional activities, he positioned his country as the center of civilization and circles of influence. His ultimate obsession, however, remained clear: expansion necessary for survival, and retreat poses an existential threat to the regime.
