Factionalism and Its Effect on Iran’s Foreign Policy Decision Making Process

The foreign policy decision making process of the Islamic Republic of Iran, like any other state, is affected by various factors. The factionalism as an integral part of the existence of Iran's post-revolutionary political system is one of the internal factors derived from the government environment that has influenced the foreign policy decision making process of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This factor has been described by researchers in the field of Iranian issues mainly as a constant and growing competition between transient, irregular and fluid political groups that are known as the faction in Iran post-revolutionary scene. This article aims to highlight the factor of factionalism in Iran with a descriptive-analytical approach. by reviewing some works on Iranian Foreign Policy, The article has addressed implication of effects of factionalism on Iranian Foreign Policy decision making .The evaluation of the article is that most of this literature emphasizes on the negative effects of factionalism.