The Islamic Republic of Iran’s textbooks reflect and promote its geopolitical stance: normalizing militarization, violent martyrdom, and anti-Western sentiment, IMPACT-se revealed in its new report on the Iranian curriculum.
IMPACT-se found that Iran’s radical Islamist ideology – Khomeinism – is deeply embedded in its educational system.
It noted that school textbooks and curricula were strong political indicators because they often reflect the prevailing ideologies, values, and political agendas of those in power at the time of their creation or revision.
In order to maintain the legitimacy of the Islamic Khomeinist vision, the Islamic regime must constantly affirm and venerate the regime’s symbols while simultaneously vilifying its enemies.
IMPACT-se said that Iran is dedicated to inculcating its future generations in aggressive anti-Western warfare as a key element of perpetuating the Islamic Revolution.
One example is the glorification of Qasem Soleimani: the IRGC general assassinated by the US in 2020. This is notably present across multiple school grades and subjects. Soleimani’s leadership in regional conflicts is portrayed as beneficial, promising strategic gains for Iran and its allies.
In one Grade 10 textbook, Soleimani is presented as a martyr who strengthened the “resistance” across multiple countries until he was assassinated by “the terrorist president of the United States.”
Such depictions may prompt students to accept ongoing regional conflicts as legitimate and absolutely necessary, the IMPACT-se report said.
It explained that a noticeable innovation of Khomeinist education, as compared to more traditional forms of Shiism, was the shift in hate from a focus on Sunnis to the “Imperialist West.”
Iranian textbooks portray US as threat, push anti-West views
The curriculum cultivates total antipathy toward Western values, such as secularism and non-Islamic family and sexual norms, according to IMPACT-se. It teaches students that they are constantly under the foreign threat of the West, chiefly the United States, which seeks to prevent Iran from spreading Islamic culture worldwide and wants to brainwash the Iranian people.
One example of this is the repeated characterization of America as the “Great Satan” when discussing Qasem Soleimani. He is presented as a patriot and a religious defender who confronted the forces of “global arrogance,” led by the US.
This framing, in addition to slogans such as “Death to America,” reinforces a worldview in which confrontation with the US is both justified and necessary, elevating Soleimani as a heroic figure whose actions embody resistance to Western influence, IMPACT-se highlighted.
In conjunction, the Iranian regime’s curriculum legitimizes militia doctrine in the Arab Middle East. Iran’s students learn that Iranians should support the jihad of Arab proxy militias in the pursuit of fomenting regional instability. Arabic is taught as a pragmatic tool for preparing Iranian students for jihad operations.
Iran is also portrayed as a leading advocate for the oppressed, with particular emphasis on its support for the Palestinians. According to the educational narrative, Iran derives its strength from its strategic geography, substantial population, geopolitical significance, abundant oil and gas resources, and advancements in military science and technology.
To further promote the Khomeinist ideology, the curriculum militarizes youth and conditions students as soldiers in a global battle to expand the Islamic Revolution, IMPACT-se found.
Defense Readiness textbooks for high school teach military concepts and wartime survival. Students learn how to handle weapons and are military-ready by middle school, reflecting a warrior mentality aimed at controlling the Middle East.
Iranian textbooks go as far as to sanitize suicide martyr missions by distinguishing them from ordinary suicides, as one grade 12 sociology textbook ranks “martyrdom seeking” the most noble, above “sacrificing one’s life” and “suicide,” and the grade 9 defense readiness textbook teaches that martyrdom-seeking is the most powerful asset against the enemy.
Finally, Iran’s nuclear project is presented in the curriculum as essential to “the revolution.” The curriculum expresses strong national pride in Iran’s “nuclear achievements.” While IMPACT-se said the emphasis is placed on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the narrative is nevertheless infused with a revolutionary tone, “framing progress as the result of overcoming formidable challenges posed by adversaries and honoring the sacrifices of martyrs.”
In the aftermath of June’s 12 Day War, Iranian authorities introduced new educational materials aimed at reinforcing narratives of national resistance and hostility toward Iran’s adversaries. This included a nationwide instructional package titled “We Defend Our Iran.” One for each school stage was distributed to students, presenting the conflict as a demonstration of Iranian resilience and unity under the country’s leadership.
“The introduction of these materials illustrates how the regime has sought to further militarize the curriculum following the conflict, embedding wartime narratives and ideological justifications for confrontation within the education system,” the report added.
Looking forward, IMPACT-se warned that while the US-Israel war on Iran poses an existential threat to the Islamic Republic, it is essential to examine the role of education as well.
“Far from merely educating the next generation, state textbooks embed the ideological worldview of governments and regimes,” it said, adding: “Understanding that a change in mentality is crucial for future relations with the current Iranian regime, any post-conflict negotiations should look to include educational reform as part of a human rights or social reform package.”
IMPACT-se concluded: “Once the flames of war are doused, educational reforms should be used as an indirect but critical measure to de-escalate and deradicalize Iranian views of the ‘other’ and the West, primarily the US, and provide an opportunity for Iranian children to learn about an alternative future.”