Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article
Authors
1 MAU
2 Isfahan University
Abstract
Within the ongoing geopolitical rivalry between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States in West Asia, the 12-day imposed war initiated by the Israeli regime against Iran represents a pivotal development in the reconfiguration of Washington’s containment strategy. This study seeks to examine the strategic logic underpinning U.S. foreign policy toward this crisis and to analyze how it aligns with broader mechanisms of containing Iran within the Western liberal–security order. Drawing upon defensive realism, Stephen Walt’s “balance of threat” theory, and the logic of containment, the research employs an explanatory analytical approach based on qualitative content analysis of official documents, U.S. government statements, and reports produced by think tanks such as RAND and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The findings indicate that the United States interpreted the conflict not merely as a military confrontation between two actors, but as an integral component of its grand strategy to contain Iran and preserve Israel’s strategic superiority within regional power dynamics. From Washington’s perspective, the Iranian threat is multidimensional encompassing ideological, geopolitical, and technological components alongside military capabilities and possesses the potential to alter the regional balance of power to the detriment of U.S. allies. Accordingly, U.S. policy combined direct containment measures such as diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and limited strikes against critical Iranian infrastructure with indirect containment through enhanced military and intelligence support for Israel and regional coalition-building.
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