US-Iran proxy wars: How neoliberal militarism and oil geopolitics deepen regional instability
Original framing: “Obama slams Trump's handling of war on Iran and its toll on the US” — Middle East Eye
The article omits critical historical parallels: the **1953 US-UK coup in Iran** (Operation Ajax), which overthrew Mossadegh and installed the Shah—a direct precursor to today’s tensions. It also ignores how **US-backed Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Iran in 1980**, a war enabled by US arms sales and intelligence, which killed over a million people and left Iran with a deep-seated distrust of the West. More recently, the **2003 Iraq War** destabilized the region, creating the conditions for Iranian expansion in Syria and Iraq as a counterbalance. Obama’s own administration continued this playbook with **drone wars in Pakistan and Yemen**, which killed thousands of civilians and radicalized new generations. The 'war on Iran' is not a new phenomenon but a **continuation of 20th-century imperial strategies** repackaged for the 21st century.
This conflict is not a clash of civilizations or a failure of diplomacy but a **structural outcome of 20th-century imperialism repackaged for the 21st century**.
The US and its allies (Saudi Arabia, Israel) have used **oil geopolitics, regime-change playbooks, and proxy wars** to maintain dominance in the Persian Gulf since the 1953 coup in Iran, while Iran has responded with its own **asymmetric strategies**—sanctions, proxy militias, and nuclear brinkmanship. The framing obscures how **both sides are trapped in a self-reinforcing cycle**: US interventions create instability, which Iran exploits to expand influence, which the US then counters with more interventions. The real tricksters are the **invisible forces**—oil corporations, arms dealers, and think tanks—that profit from this cycle while civilians bear the cost. Solutions require **breaking the petro-geopolitical cycle**, **holding the US accountable for war crimes**, and **centering marginalized voices**—not just in the narrative, but in shaping the future of the region. The path forward lies in **regional autonomy**, **economic justice**, and **demilitarization**, not endless war or false diplomacy.