Game Theory Approach to the Analysis of Iran-US Conflict by Focusing on Iran's Nuclear Program

The US-Iran conflict whose origins dates back to the establishment of the Islamic republic government in Iran following the 1979 revolution, has evolved into a new phase in the preceding decade as the dispute over Iran's nuclear activities has risen. As illustrated in this article, we have analyzed the 13-year-old nuclear dispute using game theory which has proved to be an effective tool in analyzing confrontations and forecasting the outcome. In the first section of this article, we present historical instances of applying game theory to analysis of conflicts. In the rest of the article, we look at the US-Iran dispute over Iran's nuclear activities in three historically significant time periods in the years 2006, 2013 and 2015, through a game-theoretic approach. The conclusion illustrates how a change in the combination of the main actors, including Iran, US, Russia, China, Europe and Israel in each period, as well as continuation or change in their priorities, have resulted in different outcomes. Ultimately, based on insights gained by the analysis, the authors present recommendations on how to avoid returning to the past conditions.