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Iran’s Rise
Article

Iran’s Rise

GIS, 2017

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Overview
  • Background

Recommendation

US president Donald Trump’s gradual reassertion of American involvement in the Middle East is upsetting the region’s volatile geopolitical balance. As Trump ramps up his hostile rhetoric against Iran and threatens to tear up the 2015 nuclear deal, an understanding of the dynamics of the region and Iranian internal politics becomes ever more crucial. The experts at Geopolitical Intelligence Services provide a good starting point: an Iran dossier that outlines Iran’s ascent as a regional power and US efforts to counter it.  

Summary

The signing of the United States’ 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in which Iran pledged to roll back its nuclear program in exchange for lifted sanctions, had many experts predicting it would lead to more regional stability. More than anything, however, the deal has strengthened Iran’s position in the region and aggravated Saudi Arabian concerns about waning US military involvement in the Persian Gulf and about Iranian Shia expansionism.

The ancient rivalry between Shiite Iran and the Wahhabi kingdom is playing out in regional conflicts across the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has intervened in the Yemeni civil war to counter Iran-allied...

About the Author

Geopolitical Intelligence Services is a European research and consulting firm.