THE US-Iran war’s primary after effects include a severe global energy crisis from the blocked Strait of Hormuz, disproportionate military losses, and a shift in Iran’s leadership to hardline IRGC factions. The conflict has profoundly impacted both the Middle East and the broader international system. Iran’s retaliation and the effective blockades in the Strait of Hormuz cut off nearly 20% of global oil and gas supplies. This triggered soaring global fuel shortages, record-high petroleum prices in Asia, and fears of a worldwide recession. The World Trade Organization noted that elevated oil prices resulting from the conflict reduced forecasted global GDP growth.

Large-scale strikes on Iranian leadership killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, alongside an elevation in the political and security power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Despite the decimation of conventional military assets and extensive infrastructure damage, the regime has maintained a hardline stance in negotiations aimed at formally ending the conflict. The broader theater of the war directly pulled in neighboring Gulf States and Israel. Continuous saturation attacks and missile exchanges forced countries hosting US military bases—like Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain—to navigate highly precarious security positions. While fragile ceasefires have........

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