United States' Policy towards Iran after the Islamic Revolution

The United States has pursued an antagonistic policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran ever since the fall of the pro-US monarchy. Even though subsequent US administrations since 1979 have been trying to restore earlier influence in that country, the disintegration of the Soviet Union has reinforced the US resolve to regain political leverage in Iran. The realization of this objective could remove a major impediment to the growing US hegemony in the region. Thus, Iran forms part of the Bush administration's so-called ‘axis of evil’. The Iranian Islamic government's autonomous foreign and domestic policies pose a challenge to the US-led Western bloc's preponderant political, military and economic influence in the Persian Gulf and South-west Asia. The ongoing pressure on Tehran to abandon its nuclear programme is an integral component of a multifaceted strategy that seeks to isolate Iran both at the regional and international levels. The US-led occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 11 September events have facilitated the encirclement of Iran with US military power. Further, the absence of a global counter-weight to check US interventionism in the region has increased the chances of US political or even military interference in Iran. Consequently, the US has enhanced its attempts to weaken and possibly overthrow the Islamic regime as part of its plans to redraw the political and strategic maps of the region. In this regard, the US is using various political and economic instruments to undermine the Iranian government.