علی اصغر غفاری چراتی

The present study aims to answer how transformation and smartization of the U.S military power strategy has been conducted in the Persian Gulf region since 2001. The research relies on the hypothesis that consequences and high costs of the U.S military strategies during the presidency of George W. Bush, under the influence of hard power, made later presidents in the country to follow the strategy of smart power. Along with military presence, they also attempted to rebuild the U.S deteriorated image in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region by some strategies like diplomacy, trade, foreign assistance, and propagation of their values. The research method was content analysis and the results showed that consequences of the U.S military intervention in the Persian Gulf revealed strategic limitations of Washington’s hard power policy during the Bush presidency. Thus, Barack Obama and later presidents in the country emphasized on the simultaneous use of hard and soft power, under the title of smart power. Although their approaches were different, their most important smart and common objective was to intelligently change power balance in the Persian Gulf region, in favor of the U.S and against Iran, by coalition between Israel and Arabic countries especially Saudi Arabia and UAE in the region.

One of the issues that has always affected Iran's national security is the US military intervention in the Persian Gulf region. Today, this country is the biggest extra-regional threat in the Persian Gulf against Iran's national security. Iran has always strived to maintain and enhance its deterrent capability against the US military presence in the Persian Gulf region. This study seeks to answer the question of what is the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in deterring the US military presence in the Persian Gulf region? Using descriptive-analytical method to test the hypothesis and library method and taking notes to collect data and use the statements of the theory of threat balance, This result was obtained that the Islamic Republic of Iran while making optimal use of its geopolitical and geostrategic position in The Persian Gulf region, with the development of its naval, air, land and missile power, along with the use of asymmetric warfare strategy and the use of proxy forces, as well as pursuing friendship diplomacy with the countries of the Persian Gulf region, has sought to implement a no-access strategy in the Persian Gulf region to create an effective balance of threat against the threat of US military presence, to increase its deterrent power against this country, especially in the military field. The actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran strengthened the national security of this country and, in turn, posed a serious challenge to the effective US military presence in the Persian Gulf region.

The gradual deployment of the United States missile defense shield plan from Europe to the Persian Gulf region over the past decade and the establishment of radar and defensive components of this plan, in the whole Persian Gulf region both in its land and floating zone, has implications and also plenty consequences for regional and international systems and has aggravated the fragile security of the Persian Gulf Region. Topics such as the beginning of the arms race, the collapse of the balance of power, the blurred relations, regional instability, and the most important one the trilateral Arab, Israeli, and American alliances can be seen as the security implications of establishing the plan in the Persian Gulf region. Accordingly, the purpose of this research, by using descriptive-analytical method and collecting data with library tools, is to examine the reasons for the formation of the missile defense shield, to analyze accurately its expanding to the Persian Gulf region and its impact on the security of the region. The implementation of this project in the Persian Gulf region will have tremendous impacts on the international system at the head of the Middle East and Persian Gulf and will affect the security of this region and will be sensitive to many countries in the region, including Iran It brings about the nature and final fate of this plan.