Publication

This paper discusses the kaleidoscopic nature of Iranian political factions. The author argues that when dealing with the relationship between factionalism and nuclear strategy in Iran, cross-cutting cleavages are not simply those dividing reformists and conservatives. What is significant about the nuclear debate in Iran is that reformist groups, parties and political figures are not prominent in the debate. The paper acknowledges that there is a dispute between advocates of a strategy of self-reliance and those who favor selective bandwagoning with the US on Iraq and Afghanistan as a means of facilitating Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear option.