The Impact of the Ontological View of Security on Iran’s Strategic Depth

The present research gives an answer to the following fundamental question: How could the ontological view of the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran affect the definition of Iran’s strategic depth? To answer the question, we should first study the foundations of the ontological security of Iran with a focus on the Iranian Constitution and (as a corollary) the views of Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei. We then consider the impact of this ontological security on the foreign policy of Iran in general, and its strategic depth in particular. The results indicate that the ontological identity and security of Iran includes the following principles: priority of its Islamic dimension over its Iranian dimension; enmity of Israel; enmity of the US; anti-colonialism and non-committal to the great powers; the significance of Palestine for the Islamic world and the importance of the Axis of Resistance. These characteristics of the identity of the Islamic Republic result in ontological and physical security threats from the US, Israel, and the regional powers that are allied with them. As a consequence, Iran devises its strategic depth to counter these threats. It goes without saying that the military threats arising from these identity contradictions remarkably contribute to the formation of this strategic depth and the spheres of influence. The Islamic Republic prioritizes identity issues, and according to religious and ideological principles, under vital circumstances, this identity security is prior to physical security. To fulfill its ontological and physical security, the Islamic Republic of Iran pursues the deepening of its strategic depth. At present, it does so with the aim of inhibiting and countering the threats of its actual regional enemy; that is, Israel.