Factors of Crisis escalation in US-Iran relations, N PT or offshore balancing?

The issue of nuclear technology has long influenced relations between western governments-especially USA-and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today, the nuclear technology has become the main challenge between the two countries with USA claiming that it only wants to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Donald Trump on May 8, 2018, withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),increasing the pressure on Iran through continued threats and raising sanctions. This study aims to analyze the cause of US’s inimical policy towards Iran and the reason for the escalation of hostility between the two countries. The question which is posed is whether what the United states really worries about is Iran’s probable violation of NPT Or there is another more important reason, namely , the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy in middle east which confronts the USA’s grand strategy towards offshore balancing in Persian Gulf. It is hypothesized that what really concerns USA and causes its hostility towards Iran, is not Iran’s probable violation of NPT, but is related to the changes in its approach to offshore balancing in Persian Gulf.. This study attempts to answer the aforementioned questions by utilizing a Phenomenological (historical & comparative) approach based on library resources.