Deciphering Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” Policy: The Enduring Challenge of Containing Iran

Abstract

Since the advent of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the US has pursued a policy of containment towards Iran. In a major shift from Obama’s policy of appeasement, the Trump administration has spearheaded the “Maximum Pressure” campaign in an effort to contain Iran and coerce it into changing its behaviour. Although the fate of Trump’s policy remains a puzzle, it is evident that the US administration’s decisions, i.e. the withdrawal from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), re-imposition of nuclear-related sanctions and re-securitisation of Iran as well as Tehran’s counter-strategies to defy US pressures have exacerbated the enmity between Washington and Tehran. By applying the Regional Security Complex theory and linking it with George Kennan’s “containment strategy”, this article attempts to deconstruct the modus operandi of Trump administration towards Iran and scrutinise the various policy tools the US has employed to implement the maximum pressure doctrine. This research concludes that through exerting vast economic sanctions, maximizing diplomatic pressures and maintaining military deterrence, the Trump administration aims to create the conditions of possibility for regime collapse in the event that Iran refuses to change its behaviour. The article uses an analytical-explanative method and seeks to contribute to the existing academic and policy-oriented research regarding US-Iran relations via employing a hybrid theoretical lens.

US-IRAN: Between Confrontation and Reconciliation

“…However, instead of replacing one ally with another, US President Barack Obama forged a new approach to the Middle East. The United States no longer seek to isolate Iran but would instead try to get Iran to act responsibly to promote a "new balance" between Iran and Saudi Arabia characterized by competition and perhaps suspicion, but not by actual or proxy war [28]. This agreement was in force until the arrival of US President Donald Trump to power in 2016 and his decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal and adopt a "maximum pressure campaign" against Iran which aimed to:…”