ABSTRACT
With the revelation of a uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and a heavy-water plant under construction at Arak, Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran suddenly appeared in a disconcerting light. A peculiar combination of factors lets Russia resist US policies, while on other occasions, pressure on Iran and the upholding of tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear programme was supported by Russia during the phases of negotiations. This chapter disentangles this seeming variation in Russia's foreign policy line by following the two-level model of a discursive and a behavioural dimension of Russia's Iran policy as introduced earlier with regard to Russian interests in the implementation of the JCPOA. A number of material factors will therefore be analysed to complement the preceding analysis of Russia's discourse and role perception. Russia's Iran policy is an illustration of a state's foreign policy that challenges hegemonic structures, but works within and through the system of international governance as the best means to check on such power structures.
