Abstract

In December 2006, the UN announced the first resolution against Iran’s nuclear activities. After many sanctions and negotiations, there still exists no definite agreement between parties over Iran’s nuclear program. The objective of this study is to determine whether Iran’s nuclear program has become Iran’s identity. It is assumed that if the nuclear issue has not become Iran’s identity, negotiation would be a useful threat. The Constructivists’ approach for shaping states’ identities was used in this study to analyze Iran’s behavior toward the nuclear issue.Iran has a long history of civilization. Iranians can trace heritage back to The Persian Empire, which brought strong national identity among them. The main segment of this identity is an inclination to prosperity, as well as the retrieving of political power and reputation. Nuclear energy is an alternative for Iranians which makes it possible for Iranians to reach their national goals. The Iranian government admits that nuclear energy is an effective tool to achieve their national ends, but, once they realized that the cost and benefit of this tool is not compatible with their national goals, they sought substitutes that fulfill their national goals.Negotiation is a good option if it brings economic growth and retrieves Iranian reputation and power. It means that negotiations which do not remove economic sanctions make it difficult to comprehensively settle because it does not lead to economic growth.

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