Power is the central axis of international relations and foreign policy, and the type and extent of its use reflects the degree of significance and influence of actors within the international system. The field of foreign policy analysis, as one of the key arenas of power, examines and explains states’ external behavior and orientations, which constitute the core outputs of every country’s foreign policy. The “power continuum” in foreign policy encompasses both hard power, which is coercive and often direct and physical, and soft power, which is indirect and long-term, relying more on persuasion than force or coercion, and serves as a key instrument of foreign policymaking. This article seeks to construct the essential components of the power continuum in foreign policy within Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual framework by analyzing its key dimensions based on Christopher Hill’s model. The central question is: By examining the indicators of Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual framework, which aspects of the power continuum in foreign policy appear to have been most emphasized by him? In response, the hypothesis proposed is that in Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual framework, the power continuum in foreign policy simultaneously emphasizes both soft and hard dimensions of power (smart power).
This research is descriptive-analytical in nature, and the required data has been collected through a library-based method, drawing on reliable books, articles, websites, and documented reports.”