Background & Purpose: The Islamic Republic of Iran represents a compelling case study within the continually evolving landscape of development diplomacy. Despite existing constraints, development diplomacy offers a potentially transformative pathway for strengthening cooperation and facilitating Iran’s deeper integration into the global order. Accordingly, the present study aims to design and explicate a process model for the development diplomacy policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Methodology: In terms of purpose, this study falls within the category of applied–developmental research and, regarding data collection, adopts a qualitative approach. The study population comprises senior diplomats, former managers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, researchers specializing in development diplomacy, and experts with experience in international missions or activities within development-oriented institutions. Sampling was conducted through a non-probabilistic snowball method, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Ultimately, theoretical saturation was reached after 12 in-depth semi-structured interviews; however, to ensure greater robustness, interviews were extended to a total of 16. Thematic analysis was employed for data analysis.
Findings: The process model extracted in this study, designed to address the identified gaps, encompasses six principal stages: problem identification and formulation; development and structuring of solutions; analysis of options and decision-making; design of implementation mechanisms; implementation and inter-agency coordination; and monitoring, evaluation, and feedback. By incorporating political, security, economic, institutional, social, and sectoral diplomacy dimensions, the model enables the effective utilization of domestic and international capacities and contributes to strengthening the soft power of the Islamic Republic of Iran in achieving sustainable development goals.
Conclusion: Key priorities include the institutionalization of a process-oriented approach to policymaking, enhancement of institutional and human capacities, alignment of domestic and foreign policies, targeted utilization of economic and financial instruments, and the expansion of international engagement and public–private partnerships.