The geopolitical struggle that has defined United States-Iran relations for decades is fundamentally a contest over the flow of economic goods through the Strait of Hormuz.
Five Millennia of Resistance in the Iranian Heartland
Persia’s history of resistance to foreign intrusion into its heartland predates the incorporation of Twelver-Shi’ism into its national identity by over a millennium and a half. Indigenous empires in the region consistently resisted Mediterranean expansion, establishing a deep-seated historical divide. The Achaemenid Empire challenged Greek city-states until Alexander the Great conquered the region, establishing the Hellenic Seleucid Empire.
The Parthian Empire resisted Rome’s eastward expansion for over two centuries before dissolving into the Sasanian Empire. The Sasanians maintained this rivalry until the rise of Arab warriors inspired by Islam, who ultimately conquered Persia. Subsequent shifts brought Turkic Seljuks, Mongol rule, and the Safavid Empire, which cemented Twelver-Shi’ism in 1501.
The Discovery of Petroleum and British Dominance
The Persian Gulf assumed modern geopolitical significance in 1908 with the discovery of oil by British petroleum companies in southwestern Persia and northern Iraq. The Abadan refinery, constructed in 1912, operated as the world’s largest single oil refinery for five decades. This discovery prompted the Royal Navy to transition its fleet entirely from coal to oil, cementing Britain’s need to secure foreign fuel sources.
BREAKING: Iran has DIRECTLY STRUCK SIX SHIPS with ANTI-SHIP MISSILES in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters — its LARGEST-EVER ATTACK in the strategic waterway, according to the IRGC.The attack came in response to this morning’s U.S. strike on THREE Iranian oil tankers…
Following the First World War, Great Britain solidified its regional control by establishing protectorates in Iraq and Jordan in 1921. It helped install Reza Shah Pahlavi on the Iranian throne in 1925 and supported the House of Saud in founding Saudi Arabia in 1927. During World War II, British and Soviet forces jointly occupied Iran in 1941 to secure Allied supply lines and critical petroleum assets.
As British financial power waned, London announced its military withdrawal from east of Suez in 1968, completing the exit by 1971. In response, Washington adopted a Twin Pillar strategy, relying on Iran and Saudi Arabia to maintain regional stability and prevent Soviet expansion. The Shah successfully lobbied President Richard Nixon in May 1972 for massive arms sales, positioning Iran as the primary protector of the Gulf through arrangements detailed in historical State Department documents on arms sales.
The 1979 Revolution and the Carter Doctrine
Internal decay and severe social unrest culminated in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, forcing the Shah into exile and bringing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power. The ensuing 444-day hostage crisis involving American diplomats profoundly altered Washington’s foreign policy. President Jimmy Carter responded in his January 1980 State of the Union address by issuing the Carter Doctrine, declaring that any outside force attempting to control the Persian Gulf region would be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.
While the Shah sought to act as a regional hegemon within a U.S.-led security framework, Khomeini rejected that system entirely. Khomeini aimed to export revolutionary influence through Shia communities, putting Tehran on a collision course with Sunni states like Saudi Arabia.
