Trump and Iran

With the advent of the Trump Administration, relations between Iran and the United States have become increasingly conflictual to the point that a future war between the two countries is a realistic possibility. President Trump has unilaterally withdrawn the US from the historic Iran nuclear accord and has re-imposed the nuclear-related sanctions, which had been removed as a result of that accord. Reflecting a new determined US effort to curb Iran's hegemonic behavior throughout the Middle East, Trump's Iran policy has all the markings of a sharp discontinuity in the Iran containment strategy of the previous six US administrations. The regime change policy, spearheaded by a hawkish cabinet with a long history of antipathy toward the Iranian government, has become the most salient feature of US policy toward Iran under President Trump. This turn in US foreign policy has important consequences not just for Iran but also for Iran's neighbors and prospects of long-term stability in the Persian Gulf and beyond. This book seeks to examine the fluid dynamic of US-Iran relations in the Trump era by providing a social scientific understanding of the pattern of hostility and antagonism between Washington and Tehran and the resulting spiraling conflict that may lead to a disastrous war in the region.

This book focuses on the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the "Iran nuclear deal." Arguing in favor of a return to JCPOA, Entessar (emer., Univ. of South Alabama) and Afrasiabi, a political scientist, criticize the administration's maximum pressure policy toward Iran as unwarranted and unlikely to succeed. They present Iran as a victim of Iranophobic 'threat inflation' (p. 190), wrongfully subjected to a "ravaging economic assault by the Trump administration" (p. 77). . . Summing Up: Recommended. . . Graduate students and faculty.-- "Choice", "Trump and Iran is a thorough and thoughtful work by two established scholars of Iranian politics. This book examines the complex American-Iranian relations which have been close to the brink of a war influenced by both domestic and foreign factors that make any peaceful solution difficult to achieve. Beyond its analytical value, the book also has a reference value with an extensive bibliography."--Houman Sadri, Director, Information & Policy Analysis Center, "At a time of great uncertainty in U.S.-Iran relations, this book by Entessar and Afrasiabi provides a competent and contextual examination of Trump's confrontational Iran policy and its short and long-term implications for the region. The authors devote considerable and detailed attention to the economic and geopolitical dimensions of Iran's foreign policy towards the U.S., Europe, and the Persian Gulf. The alternative scenarios for war and diplomacy between Iran and the West in this book are of great significance for understanding the existing regional and global trends. Highly recommended."--Kayhan Barzegar, Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, Tehran, "For over four decades the conflict between Iran and the U.S. has been a constant fixture of regional and global politics and a major factor in shaping contemporary international relations. The Trump Administration's dramatic withdrawal from the 2015 Nuclear Agreement, the re-imposition of the "maximum pressure" sanctions, and the threat of a region-wide military confrontation are the latest dynamics in this complex saga. Entessar and Afrasiabi's excellent work is a very timely and welcomed contribution in unpacking this complexity. The authors navigate this highly charged conflict with a sound and yet jargon free theoretical framework, a balanced, multidimensional, and nuanced analysis, and a very accessible prose. A very valuable book for both the policy and the scholarly community. Highly recommended!"--Mohiaddin Mesbahi, Florida International University, "In the wake of the rising tensions between the United States and Iran in the aftermath of the Trump Administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the task of searching for genuine diplomatic and pragmatic solutions has emerged as one of the most formidable challenges facing the international community. In this book, Entessar and Afrasiabi offer a timely, engaging, and innovative contribution to this task."--Mahmood Monshipouri, San Francisco State University and author of Middle East Politics: Changing Dynamics

Nader Entessar is professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Alabama.Kaveh L. Afrasiabi is independent scholar.