The Islamic Revolution of Iran represents a pivotal turning point in the country’s contemporary history, one that not only transformed the political structure and power system but also brought about profound changes in the cultural, social, and value domains. Culture, as one of the core pillars of governance, plays a decisive role in shaping development policies and reproducing social capital. According to UNESCO’s perspective, cultural policy-making stands at the center of sustainable development processes; therefore, assessing the effectiveness of cultural policies requires a systematic, realistic, and evidence-based approach. Within this framework, revisiting the cultural performance of the Islamic Republic of Iran over more than four decades since the Revolution is a strategic necessity for identifying institutional gaps, inefficiencies, and structural challenges within the cultural policy system. Employing a descriptive–analytical methodology and drawing on documentary data and library studies, this research explores the obstacles and shortcomings that have hindered the realization of the cultural objectives of the Islamic Revolution. The findings reveal that institutional fragmentation, weak systems for cultural performance evaluation, and the dominance of political considerations over cultural decision-making are among the most critical challenges limiting cultural dynamism and policy effectiveness. Adopting a reform-oriented perspective, this study seeks to provide a foundation for rethinking cultural governance models and transforming threats into constructive opportunities for advancement.