As West Asia remains mired in conflict, it is worth examining how the United States-led global war on terror inadvertently emboldened Iran, elevating it to a regional power that is now capable of confronting the U.S. in the ongoing conflict.
U.S. invasions toppled both governments, eliminating Iran’s most dangerous neighbours. The new governments in both countries proved friendlier to Tehran. In Iraq, the fall of the Sunni regime led to a Shia-led government with deep ties to Iran, transforming an enemy into a strategic partner. Iran consolidated its influence by becoming a key counter-terrorism player, exploiting power vacuums and using the crisis to strengthen its diplomatic position. Though the emergence of a shared enemy opened a narrow window for dialogue with the U.S., no synchronisation materialised, as President George W. The rise of ISIS paradoxically benefited Iran, which became one of the first and most critical military supporters of the Iraqi government in its fight against the group. Iran deployed its elite Quds Force to coordinate Baghdad’s defence, cementing its influence over Iraq’s security apparatus. In Syria, defending the Assad regime protected Iran’s only major state ally and helped consolidate its supply routes to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Prior to 2001, Iran faced strategic containment from two hostile regimes: the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Bush had famously labelled Iran part of the ‘Axis of Evil’ in his 2002 State of the Union address, alongside Iraq and North Korea, citing their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorism.
Iran had surpassed the U.S. as the most influential power in Iraq, significantly improving its strategic position, according to analysts. The “Forever Wars” in West Asia drained American resources and attention, allowing Iran to expand its influence unimpeded while reinforcing its hardline posture.
