SANCTIONS TO STRIKE: THE US–IRAN WAR’S FALLOUT

Abstract

The United States-Iran affairs have been among the most debatable and intricate rivalries in the international politics in recent years. The existence of political suspicion, economic sanctions, nuclear issues and the rivalry between the two states in the region has been some of the contributors to constant tension between the two nations. The recent years have seen the increasing level of hostilities changing the diplomatic and economic confrontations in the form of wider security issues that have major regional and global consequences. This paper discusses the shift more economical sanctions towards military challenge and evaluates the political, economic and strategic implications of the US Iran conflict. Special emphasis is placed on the role of sanctions as coercion tools of diplomacy and how they have affected Iranian economy, foreign policies and behavior in the region. The paper also expounds on the role in which military escalation has impacted regional security, worsened proxy wars and caused instability in the Middle East. Furthermore, it examines the consequences of the conflict on the oil markets in the world, the energy security as well as the international trade especially by instabilities related to the Strait of Hormuz. The reactions of key foreign actors, such as the United Nations, the European Union, China, and Russia in dealing with tensions and avoiding further upsurge are also analyzed in the course of the research. Using the Realism Theory, this paper will assert that the behavior of both states is still influenced by the strategic interests, competition in terms of power, and national security factors. The results also indicate that the long run confrontation not only jeopardizes the maintenance of regional stability, but also provide major risks to the global economic and security systems. This paper concludes that the processes of diplomatic intervention, multilateral collaboration and sustainable conflict-management measures are the keys to decreased tension and the establishment of long-term peace in the area.