Content analysis of the relationship between national identity and national interests in Ayatollah Khamenei's thought

The concept of national interests is one of the key concepts in designing the foreign policy of countries. In the constructivist perspective, national interests are influenced by norms, ideals, and national identity and, unlike the traditional realist approach, do not break with the value system of political actors. This study examines the relationship between national identity and national interests in Ayatollah Khamenei's intellectual system in the framework of constructivism and considering the position of leadership in the macro policy of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The method of this research is to analyze the content of Ayatollah Khamenei's statements regarding the relationship between national identity and national interests. Ayatollah Khamenei considers the identity of the Iranian nation to consist of Islamic identity, revolutionary identity and Iranian identity. In this study, based on the comparison of the aforementioned identities, the three identities were examined in three dimensions: cultural interests, political interests and economic interests, and it was concluded that the national interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran derive from the national identity of the Iranian nation. And in all three levels, it has a real relationship with three levels of interests, and in Ayatollah Khamenei's intellectual system, national interests come from the Iranian, Islamic and revolutionary layers. In Ayatollah Khamenei's view, the three national identities provide cultural independence, increased political deterrence, security, and increased national wealth.