Although the world powers have reached a nuclear deal with Iran, the thorniest dispute between Iran and the United States remains Iran's claim to its right to enrich uranium, which the United States insists does not exist for any country. In order for Western critics to appreciate why Iran insists it has the “absolute and inalienable right” to enrich uranium on its soil under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), perspective on what’s currently driving Iran’s foreign policy behavior is needed.
According to Ruhi Ramazani, professor emeritus of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia, the driving force is independence. In his recent book, Independence without Freedom, Ramazani — who is celebrated among US scholars as “the expert’s expert on Iran” and “the dean of Iranian foreign policy” — explores, in his words, “what seems to drive Iranian foreign-policy decisions by trying to place them in the deeper context of what I call Iran’s 'diplomatic culture,' defined as those values, norms, mores, institutions, modes of thinking and way of acting that have developed over centuries as a result of Iran’s diplomatic interaction with other nations, have survived change and continue to shape Iran’s foreign policymaking.”
