GEOPOLITICAL CHANGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE PERSIAN GULF FOLLOWING THE UNITED STATES–ISRAEL WAR AGAINST IRAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46991/jos.2026.29.1.132Keywords:
geopolitical transformations, Middle East, Persian Gulf, United States-Israel war against Iran, ideological factor, regional confrontation, Strait of HormuzAbstract
The United States–Israel war against Iran (the 12-Day War of February 2026) fundamentally altered the international and geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region. Despite the significant damage inflicted on Iran, the military campaign failed to achieve one of its principal objectives—the overthrow of the Iranian political regime. The strategic calculations of the United States and Israel proved inaccurate, as they underestimated the considerable ideological resilience embedded within Iran’s political and state institutions, the core of which is constituted by Islamic ideology. Iran remains a major regional power owing to its extensive network of political and strategic influence across several Middle Eastern countries, including Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. Consequently, any military confrontation with Iran could not be confined solely to Iranian territory but inevitably extended to a broader regional dimension involving multiple arenas of influence and proxy actors.
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