Cultural Sources of Iran’s Soft Power (Case Study of 2025 Vision Statement)

Having applied qualitative content analysis, this article tries to study Islamic Republic of Iran’s sources of soft power in its 2025 vision statement. Iran’s 2025 vision statement has been studied and examined with respect to cultural sources that may influence Iran’s soft power. Findings of the article indicate that Iran’s 2025 vision statement enjoys desirable capacities and potentials to enhance Iran’s soft power in 2025 perspective. Cultural resources creating soft power in this statement include elements such as ethical societies, Islamic and revolutionary identity, norm creation, paradigms and patterns, strong institution of family, Islamic values, science and knowledge, enhancement of defensive systems with a cultural approach, cultural inspiration etc. Strengthening these elements may enhance Iranian society’s soft power.