Iran's Two Pillars of Power: State and Non-State Alliances

The provided text examines Iran's strategic approach to national security, emphasizing its reliance on a two-pillar alliance system. This system includes formal state-level partnerships, primarily with Russia and China for technological and economic benefits, and an informal network of non-state actors known as the "Axis of Resistance," which serves as the primary tool for asymmetric warfare and regional influence. The analysis highlights that while the Axis of Resistance, managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), allows Iran to project power indirectly, it also introduces significant vulnerabilities due to a lack of complete control over these proxies. Despite these alliances, the text concludes that Iran's partners offer no direct mutual defense guarantee, leaving Iran exposed in direct confrontations and likely reinforcing its pursuit of a sovereign nuclear capability as the ultimate deterrent.