This study was conducted with the aim of designing a policymaking model for Iran’s electric energy sector within the framework of the New Silk Road. In terms of purpose, the research is applied, and methodologically, it employs a qualitative approach based on grounded theory. The statistical population consisted of experts in the energy sector, and using purposive sampling, 30 individuals were selected as the sample. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using three-stage coding (open, axial, and selective). To assess the trustworthiness of the findings, Guba and Lincoln’s criteria were applied.

The results of the study indicated that, from the experts’ perspective, factors such as Iran’s geopolitical position and the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China function as facilitating conditions; sanctions and their consequences, as well as tensions between Iran and certain regional countries, act as intervening conditions; and the neighboring countries’ demand for electricity markets, alongside Iran’s loss of its former status as a regional electricity exporter and its possession of the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves, constitute extractable external and internal causal factors. When addressed through diverse strategies—such as managing domestic electricity supply and demand with an emphasis on electricity exports, and expanding electricity generation from various sources—these factors can lead to valuable outcomes in commercial and geo-economic domains, developmental and technological spheres, strategic and energy diplomacy dimensions, as well as institutional and energy governance areas.

Accordingly, these findings can provide a foundation for formulating effective electric energy policies for Iran, with an emphasis on international interactions along the pathway of the New Silk Road.

Keywords: Policymaking, Policy Design, New Silk Road, Model Development, Grounded Theory, Paradigm Model, Contextual Factors, International Interactions