Global warming and the increasing emissions of greenhouse gases have led to a rise in the frequency and intensity of extreme climate events. It is predicted that the adverse impacts of climate change in arid and semi-arid regions, such as Iran, will increase, reducing the resilience of the agricultural sector and rural households. An assessment of agricultural and rural resilience in Iran, based on climatic, demographic, production, economic, infrastructural, and environmental components, indicates that the resilience of many provinces is currently moderate, low, or very low. Therefore, climate governance systems must be designed and implemented to enhance the adaptation and resilience of rural residents and the agricultural sector against climate change. Studies indicate that efforts in energy management have not been very effective, and despite an emphasis on sustainable and integrated resource management principles, water governance has also faced failures. This situation increasingly underscores the responsibility of the agricultural extension system to promote the adaptation of agriculture and rural populations to water scarcity and climate change. Findings from a qualitative study and semi-structured interviews with 11 experts and managers in Iran’s agricultural extension and education sector, selected through purposive sampling, show that considering three components—1) dissemination of technical, managerial, and economic information, 2) development of soft capacities and skills, and 3) facilitation and implementation of climate adaptation policies and strategies—the performance of the New Agricultural Extension System in enhancing agricultural and rural household resilience has been at a moderate level. The system possesses significant potential to facilitate soft climate governance. However, the current complex and dynamic conditions make it necessary to develop a more climate-adaptive and universally inclusive agricultural extension system. Achieving this requires improving the structure of the extension system, strengthening its social function, promoting participatory knowledge and technology production, and ultimately focusing on demand-driven approaches.