The present study investigated the significance of teachers' Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs and views of research with regard to their success among a group of 177 Iranian EFL teachers. To fulfill this aim, the participants responded to three questionnaires; the Teacher Professional Development Needs Questionnaire, an English Language Teachers' Views of Research Questionnaire, and a Characteristics of Successful EFL Teachers Questionnaire. Pearson multiple correlation coefficients results revealed that teacher success was related significantly and positively to both teachers' views of research and CPD needs as well as all their sub-components. These findings were also confirmed by full Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results; both teachers' views of research and perceived CPD needs were positive significant predictors of Iranian teachers' high perceptions of professional success. Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that for EFL teachers to perform successfully, they need to hold positive attitudes toward research and also attend to their CPD needs. Teachers can hold more positive views toward research and become research literate through doing research in graduate and post-graduate programs, receiving research training within their workplace, attending online research courses, reading books on research, searching through research journals in their specific field, and participating in conferences, workshops, and forums on research-relevant areas. Furthermore, teacher educators, including those in the educational system of Iran, are encouraged to re-plan their professional development programs to meet the real needs of the teachers in their specific educational context instead of presenting teachers with theory-based universal programs if they are to prepare successful teachers who can deal effectively with the daily realities of the classroom.