The Role of Ethics in the Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Most states in today’s world have regulated their foreign policies in accordance with the theory of Neorealism and are working towards enhancing their power and interests. These states operate in international arena under the reign of chaos and secularization of politics. In contrast to this predominant approach, ethics is at the core of politics in Islam. This is why the main purpose of the foreign policy of Iran, based on its constitution, is not just the achievement of its national interests, but the realization of the interests of the entire humanity, though this goal might lead to the sacrifice of some financial interests. The purpose of this paper, thus, is to compare the foreign policy of Iran and the foreign policy based on the theories dominating the international relations based on “Neorealism”, “Liberalism”, and “Constructivism”. The research method adopted in this study is of descriptive-analytic kind and the data have been gathered through a library research method. The results revealed that despite differences in their political, financial, cultural and ideological conditions, all governments pursue similar goals regarding their national interests in the international arena. However, based on Islam’s viewpoint, one particular nation must not be the basis for decision-making and an Islamic government must pay attention to the interests of all the people of the world.