Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

Abstract

The Obama Administration identifies Iran as a major threat to U.S. national security interests. This perception is generated by suspicions of Iran s intentions for its nuclear program heightened by a November 8, 2011, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report as well as by Iran s support for militant groups in the Middle East and in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. officials also accuse Iran of helping Syria s leadership try to defeat a growing popular opposition movement and of taking advantage of Shiite majority unrest against the Sunni-led, pro-U.S. government of Bahrain. Tensions have been particularly elevated since Iran s late-December 2011 threat to try to choke off much of the world s oil supplies by attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz a reaction to the imposition of significant sanctions against Iran s vital exports of oil.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 02, 2012
Accession Number
ADA559715

Entities

People

  • Kenneth Katzman

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Iraqi-War
  • Minority Groups
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Materials
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Social Media
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.