Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The nature of Iran’s relationship with Hezbollah can only be fully understood by referring to three distinct frames of reference: the historical evolution of Shi’a Islam in Iran; the formal institutions of governance in the Islamic Republic; and the ideological factions and cross-cutting informal networks within the Iranian clerical establishment. These three frames of reference, or dimensions, are also conditioned by the geopolitical characteristics of the region as well as the immediate context of Lebanese politics, but nevertheless comprise the core factors that have shaped the internal decision-making process of Iran’s leadership. The convergence of these dimensions at various points in time have directly shaped Iran’s relationship with Hezbollah, including the intimate role played by radical Islamist clerics in establishing and supporting Hezbollah as an armed group in Lebanon during the 1980s. Notably, however, they have also combined to push Iran’s policies in a different direction from the late 1980s onward.