How the ‘national interests’ in the Islamic Republic of Iran is shaped? Why the approaches to national interests always change in Iran with the advent of new administration? Why after more than three decades of the Islamic revolution, there is yet no single strategy and agenda to define Iran’s national interests? The core idea of the present article is that the root of these challenges back to the status of nation-state building in Iran. The authors believe that besides the hostile efforts of the players of the hegemonic system at international and regional levels, who are worried of the justice-oriented discourse of the Islamic revolution, the shortcomings of nation-state building process in modern Iran is a contributing factor which, on its own, is a result of various ‘identity and role approach’ of different administrations.