One of the Pillars of the U.S. Middle East Strategy: Containing the Persians as a Regional Hegemon
Preventing Iran from becoming a regional hegemon and dominating the Persian Gulf - thereby gaining near-monopoly control over global oil supplies - is almost certainly a core national interest. In contrast, concerns about Iran's nuclear program are marginal issues, as the program is primarily for defensive purposes and is unlikely to provide it with any offensive advantage, especially against the United States. This distinction is crucial, as it should guide when and how the U.S. government uses military force.
However, if Iran attacks and conquers another Gulf state (which does not seem to be Iran's intention or capability), this would pose a direct threat to American core interests.
This might justify a strong military response - similar to the U.S. reaction to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. For this reason, President Bush obtained approval from the United Nations and Congress in January 1991 to launch the "Operation Desert Storm."
However, long-term involvement in limited conflicts or strikes against Iran's nuclear ambitions without Congressional approval may lead the United States into conflicts that do not serve its immediate interests and have no clear end result.
By readjusting our military posture - reducing the U.S. forward military presence overseas and shifting balancing forces toward more powerful regional actors (such as Israel) - Congress must take action before the next Iranian conflict breaks out.
Source: The National Interest
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842592885603483/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone