The Pressure Of The United States And The Middle East On Iran

Iran has a rich history whether great mathematicians, the center of the silk road or famous wars. It also has a rich and deep sense of pride to stand up for themselves, pride in their lives and their accomplishments. Over the last century it has had an extremely rocky relationship with the United States (US) and its neighbors in the Middle East.

Iran is a Shia Muslim dominated country where many of the other countries are all primarily Sunni. Where there is a larger Shia population is where one will see the greater influence of Iran in such countries like Iraq and Lebanon. They have also attempted to push the envelope with training and assisting the Houthis in Yemen and influencing operations throughout the Middle East. The Central Asia (CA) region is a strategic location and holds a unique and special place in history; it is an area that is rich in oil and gas so that means a lot of interests from outside countries being involved. Moreover, each Middle Eastern country rarely sees eye to eye with each other which creates instability in the region.

The geopolitical aspirations differ between countries that have historically been aligned with one another. Many countries in the CA experience the influence of countries outside the CA region that also push their own agenda or model which creates a dichotomy between two countries that are trying to enhance the area. The US, as a global power influences many of these countries and areas. The two main players have been Iran and the US, since the Soviet Union pulled out of the Middle East and their struggle to find a common ground has been a thorn in the side of the CA region since the Iranian revolution in 1979. The geo-economic struggle between these two players has resulted in instability and wars in the region for many years and there is no end in sight. Other players also play a role in the region such as China and Russia. These main players in the world order change regions ultimately by their influence and their own interests. There is a global level of influence within the Middle East and the regional level of influence. These players in the geopolitical scene are the US and EU and an emerging power player with influence in the area is China. When looking at the Middle East from a regional level it is countries such as Iran, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Each with its own set of interests and dislike for one another which creates a hyperbole of chaos and instability that has lasted decades. In Yuldasheva’s book, “The levels of their influence differ, of course, but the effectiveness of their strategies is generally dependent on the status of the Iranian- American relations. ” So, you essentially get a mix of regional countries that have their own set of plans and interests and the global players that try to strong hand or work with the regional countries to exert their interests and influence. Since very few of all these countries see eye to eye, it creates a very complex problem. The US controls many regions by their influence and they are able to control the narrative in many areas. One way they try to control the CA region is through direct influence or through diplomatic and economic routes. The United States Strategy to counter Iranian Influence will not compel the government to comply with existing UNSC resolutions and bring stability to the region. It will have to come through compromise and the two countries working together despite the immense amount of distrust the two sides have towards one another.

This white paper will focus will on the US Sanctions influence and effect on Iran and what the two can do to either continue down the unhealthy relationship they have or come to an understanding and solve the problem through de-escalation and diplomacy. There is unrest in the region and a strong Iranian and American relationship alleviate the instability of the region. There has been a rising discontent within Iran that has risen coupled with US sanctions since the Trump Administration pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and applied, what the many call a maximum pressure strategy. Iran is still obligated to adhere to the rules and regulations of the plan even though the US has pulled out. Vaez and Rafati state here, “Eighteen months after Washington quit the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, Tehran is proceeding with staggered steps away from its own compliance. The deal is unravelling against the backdrop of high regional tensions. ” The US has pulled out of the JCPOA and have hit Iran with many sanction that have focused on the their main income, Oil Exports but have also gone after other areas in order to try to get Iran to comply to a myriad of things the US wants.

Iran is a state sponsor of many proxy groups that have a far-reaching effect in the Middle East. Whether it is their own Iranian Guard Revolutionary Corpse (IRGC) or the Shia militia groups in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The US is trying their best to pressure Iran to scale back their operations in the region and in order to for the US to peel back some sanctions Iran will need to comply. Iran on the other hand has mounted aggressive counter operations against the US to show their discontent with the sanctions and their unwillingness to bend to what they see, an unfair fight against them. This is playing a dangerous game for Iran because one wrong move could be seen as an act of war against the US and its allies. President Trump highlighted many times in his National Security Strategy (NSS) that he would do his best to counter the Iranian regime which is considered by many to be the world leaders in state sponsored terrorist organizations. According to the NSS, “These activities have continued unabated since the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran continues to perpetuate the cycle of violence in the region, causing grievous harm to civilian populations. ” How Iran sees the US does not go unnoticed; they feel an absolute deep-seated skepticism with anything the US is involved within the region since the revelation that the US backed coup in 53’ of Mossadegh and their involvement in regime change. Iran has good reason to be skeptical of the US just as the US has every right to be leery of Iran, which will be addressed in the following pages.

The future does not look the brightest for the region for the simple realities that almost every interest in the region contradicts itself. China has a major interest in the region because of the Belt and Road Initiative and Russia would most likely side with China as they see fit and if it becomes in their best interest and allows more stability in the region. Security problems continue to plague the regions, internal riffs between countries within their own government prevent economic gains and real progress in key areas and especially general stability of the region.