THE U.S. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND THE PROSPECT OF WAR WITH IRAN

Abstract

For U.S. policymakers, Iran's growing regional influence, backings of proxy networks and advanced nuclear and missile programs are seen as key issues threatening regional stability and international security. This has fostered a tension between two states, such that when one side takes defensive measures, the other side will view it as a threat and escalation is more likely. The article examines the qualitative analytical assessment of risk for direct confrontation, in which the secondary data collected from policy reports, scholarly publications and strategic studies, were analyzed. The study pinpoints why the United States requires a combination of military deterrence, economic sanctions, alliance building and diplomatic engagement more than ever as components of its strategic goals. Additional tensions continue to mount stemming from regional uncertainty and instability, proxy wars and nuclear issue. Tensions can quickly become a major conflict, as these successive and coordinated attacks against military sites in Iran demonstrate, and have far-reaching implications for security and energy markets. Indeed the US-Iranian conflict that is currently evolving, its regional and global implications are a high risk scenario, driven by geopolitical competition, miscalculation and lack of effectiveness of diplomatic efforts. The findings of this study contribute to the current debate on the concept of strategic deterrence within the context of regional stability and conflict prevention, and provide policy makers, academics and security analysts interested in the future course of the Middle East security landscape with insights for its conceptualization.