قدرت نرم، تحریم سخت: بازخوانی نقش رسانه‌ها در مشروعیت‌زدایی یا مشروعیت‌بخشی به اسنپ‌بک علیه ایران

The reimposition of United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iran through the “snapback mechanism” was not merely a legal or political development, but a site of intense narrative contestation and an arena for the deployment of soft power by major international actors. This study examines how media—central instruments in shaping global public perception and constructing legitimacy—either contributed to delegitimizing or legitimizing the snapback procedure against Iran, and how these mediated representations influenced the interpretation of international law and state practice.



The theoretical framework is grounded in three pillars: the concept of legitimacy in international law and its role in the functioning of Security Council resolutions; the dynamics of soft power and the media’s capacity to form collective perceptions of legitimacy; and the critical media traditions within communication studies that reveal how narratives structure international political meaning.



Methodologically, the study adopts an analytical–comparative approach, drawing on legal documents, official statements, Security Council practice, and discourse analysis of international and regional media. The findings demonstrate that media coverage—particularly within Western outlets—did not merely mirror legal disputes surrounding the validity of restoring sanctions. Rather, media narratives played a constitutive role in shaping political expectations, influencing legal reasoning, and framing the broader understanding of international obligations.



The study concludes that in the post-truth era, legal legitimacy cannot be sustained without media legitimacy, and that sanctions lacking a coherent soft-power narrative risk diminished credibility and effectiveness. The paper ends with normative and practical recommendations for strengthening Iran’s legal and communicative positioning within global public discourse.