University of Tehran Iranian Journal of Public Policy 2538-5577 12 1 2026 03 19 Explaining the Change in Gasoline Pricing in Iran Based on the Narrative Policy Framework Explaining the Change in Gasoline Pricing in Iran Based on the Narrative Policy Framework 9 29 106366 10.22059/jppolicy.2026.106366 FA Mohammad Reza Atarodi Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Faculty of Islamic Education and Management, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran AliReza Hajizade Ph.D. Student of Public Policy, Faculty of Islamic Education and Management, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2026 03 19 Gasoline pricing in Iran has long been a site of conflicting policy narratives, rendering its transformation irreducible to merely technical or economic explanations. This study, grounded in the Narrative Policy Framework, investigates the question: “Which policy narratives shaped policymakers’ mindsets during the adoption of two contradictory laws in 2004 & 2005, and how did these narratives steer policy change?” Employing a qualitative approach and inductive thematic analysis, the research analyzes parliamentary debates from the Sixth and Seventh Islamic Consultative Assemblies. The findings reveal that in the Sixth Parliament, the dominant narrative framed gasoline as an intergenerational asset with market-based pricing, whereas in the Seventh Parliament, a new narrative emerged emphasizing administrative price control to protect public welfare. This narrative shift not only redefined the logic of pricing but also reshaped the meaning of justice and the role of the state in energy policy. The study demonstrates that narrative analysis provides a powerful lens for explaining why and how policy change occurs within Iran’s policy subsystem. Gasoline pricing in Iran has long been a site of conflicting policy narratives, rendering its transformation irreducible to merely technical or economic explanations. This study, grounded in the Narrative Policy Framework, investigates the question: “Which policy narratives shaped policymakers’ mindsets during the adoption of two contradictory laws in 2004 & 2005, and how did these narratives steer policy change?” Employing a qualitative approach and inductive thematic analysis, the research analyzes parliamentary debates from the Sixth and Seventh Islamic Consultative Assemblies. The findings reveal that in the Sixth Parliament, the dominant narrative framed gasoline as an intergenerational asset with market-based pricing, whereas in the Seventh Parliament, a new narrative emerged emphasizing administrative price control to protect public welfare. This narrative shift not only redefined the logic of pricing but also reshaped the meaning of justice and the role of the state in energy policy. The study demonstrates that narrative analysis provides a powerful lens for explaining why and how policy change occurs within Iran’s policy subsystem. https://jppolicy.ut.ac.ir/article_106366_03f1a012e05d166dc8a5e8281d043f3b.pdf