International Studies Journal (ISJ)

International Studies Journal (ISJ)

The Offshore Balancing Doctrine in U.S. Middle East Policy during the Trump Era and Its Implications for Iran

Document Type : Original Article from Result of Thesis

Authors
Ehsan Abtahi 1
Davoud Kiani 2
Mehdi Zakerian 3
1 Department of International Relations, Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor of Relations, Department of International Relations, Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
3 Associate Professor of International Relations Department, Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/isj.2025.546293.2384
Abstract
Donald Trump was the first U.S. president to formally implement the doctrine of offshore balancing in American foreign policy. Accordingly, the central question of this article is: how did the strategy of offshore balancing shape the Middle East policy of the Trump administration, and what implications did it generate for Iran’s regional strategy? Throughout both of his presidential terms, Trump consistently pursued policies aligned with offshore balancing. By criticizing his predecessors and rejecting liberal internationalism as the traditional framework of U.S. foreign policy, he elevated American national interests as the overriding priority. In this context, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement, reduced U.S. military presence and pulled troops from conflict zones, promoted the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between certain Arab states and Israel, and waged counterterrorism campaigns through reliance on proxy forces combined with targeted lethal strikes. Collectively, these measures transformed the political and security landscape of the Middle East. Such decisions, rooted in the application of offshore balancing, pose a serious strategic challenge for the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the economic level, Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign inflicted significant strain on Iran’s economy. Regionally, the formation of new alliances and efforts to weaken Iran’s allied groups considerably undermined Tehran’s regional influence.
Keywords
Middle East
Iran
United States
Donald Trump
Offshore Balancing Doctrine
Balance of Threat
Subjects
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