A profound power shift is unfolding in West Asia. Iran has defied the four-decade-old Judeo-Christian alliance, fundamentally challenging the security architecture that the United States has meticulously built in the region. Since the Second World War, only Imperial Japan had successfully bombed American military infrastructure—until now. Iran has struck U.S. military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, destroying infrastructure and killing troops. It has also rained down missiles on Israel, denting the “wolf warrior” image of two nuclear-threshold states. This is an unprecedented moment in international politics.

Since the humiliating defeat of Sunni-dominated nations in the 1967 Six-Day War, the regional balance of power has shifted dramatically. The 1979 Islamic Revolution consolidated Iran’s soft and hard power in ways the West never anticipated. Today, Iran’s revival and strategic depth signal a declining American influence in West Asia, with global ramifications.

For two decades, the United States has sought not merely to maintain military primacy but to coerce political outcomes across the region. From George H. W. Bush to Barack Obama, successive administrations pursued a hegemonic agenda—stationing troops in Saudi........

© Greater Kashmir