Representation and Thematic Analysis of Ayatollah Khamenei’s Speech Acts in Confrontation with the Foreign Policy of the United States during the Period of “Maximum Pressure” to Post-Trump Era (2016–2025)

Rashidizade, Behnam‬; Nasiri, Aii

doi:10.22034/fp.2026.738881

Representation and Thematic Analysis of Ayatollah Khamenei’s Speech Acts in Confrontation with the Foreign Policy of the United States during the Period of “Maximum Pressure” to Post-Trump Era (2016–2025)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

behnam‬ rashidizade ¹

Aii nasiri ²

¹ Assistant Professor of Political Science, Imam Sadiq (AS) Islamic Sciences Research Institute, Qom, Iran

² Assistant Professor and Faculty Member, Islamic Studies Department, Shahrood University of Technology. Semnan, Shahrood, Haft Tir Square, Shahrood University of Technology

10.22034/fp.2026.738881

Abstract

in confronting the foreign policy of the United States during the period from the “maximum pressure” campaign to the post-Trump era (2016–2025). The significance of this period lies in the fact that the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, the imposition of unprecedented sanctions, and the ensuing geopolitical transformations after the Trump administration created one of the most complex phases in the foreign relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The central research question explores how the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution has constructed meaning and representation of U.S. behavior and strategies, and what implications this meaning-making process has had for Iran’s foreign policy orientation, the reproduction of national identity, and the consolidation of the discourse of resistance.

Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative and strategic-analytical approach, employing thematic analysis to collect, code, and interpret the entire corpus of the Supreme Leader’s official and public statements within the specified timeframe.

Keywords

Ayatollah Khamenei

Foreign Policy

United States

Maximum Pressure

Subjects