The confrontation today between Israel, the United States and Iran is\nnot merely a regional military flare-up. It reflects a deeper shift in\nthe strategic framework: the destruction of Iran\u2019s nuclear\ninfrastructure\u2014such as Natanz and Fordow\u2014and the weakening of its proxy\nnetworks in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, not only a question of Israel\u2019s\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
This is a systemic pre-emptive strike: clearing the \u2018backyard\u2019 before\nWashington relocates its entire military heft to the Indo-Pacific to\nconfront China.<\/p>\n
Begin Doctrine<\/p>\n
Historically, Iran has been the sole country with the technological\nprogress and regime stability capable of challenging Israel\u2019s nuclear\nhegemony on a permanent basis. On the other hand, Israel has upheld the\nBegin Doctrine\u2014the zero-tolerance principle towards nuclear adversaries\nin the region.<\/p>\n
However, the dynamics of 2026 show a significant mutation. The\napproach that was once characterised by precision sabotage against the\nOsirak reactor in Iraq and the Al-Kibar facility in Syria has evolved\ninto total destruction (total neutralisation). The targets are not\nlimited to nuclear sites such as Natanz and Fordow, but also Iran\u2019s\nuranium enrichment capability, reduced by 75% following the joint strike\nby the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n
The strategy has evolved into comprehensive destruction of\ninfrastructure, human resources, and the command-and-control systems\nthat sustain those ambitions, such as the command ecosystem of the\nIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that controls regional\noperations. The aim is broader than the nuclear issue alone.<\/p>\n
Israel seeks to break what is called the \u2018Ring of Fire\u2019\u2014Iran\u2019s proxy\nnetwork stretching from Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, to\nShia militias in Iraq.<\/p>\n
By breaking the network\u2019s command and logistics connectivity, Israel\nwants to remove the threat of asymmetric warfare on its borders:\ncross-border rockets, drones, and proxy attacks that have long been\ninstruments of persistent pressure.<\/p>\n
In its strategic calculus, absolute security is achieved only when\nIran no longer possesses nuclear capability or a proxy architecture\ncapable of withstanding or retaliating indirectly.<\/p>\n
Hegemony of the Petrodollar<\/p>\n
Behind the rhetoric of democracy lies the motive of safeguarding the\ncurrency. Iran, together with Russia and China, has become a chief\ndriver of global dedollarisation. The United States views strikes on\nIran as a step to close the \u2018exit\u2019 from the Dollar monetary system. By\ncrippling Iran, the United States sends a message to the world that any\nattempt to trade energy outside the Dollar will face fatal military\nrisk.<\/p>\n
Since the 1974 agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia,\nthe majority of world oil trading has been conducted in dollars. By\n2025, around 58% of global foreign exchange reserves were held in USD,\nand around 80% of international trade transactions\u2014especially\nenergy\u2014used the dollar as an intermediary currency.<\/p>\n
Foreign investors also hold more than US$7 trillion of U.S.\ngovernment bonds, helping Washington finance its fiscal deficit and a\nmilitary budget that hovers around US$900 billion per year. This is what\nis known as exorbitant privilege: the ability to finance global power\nbecause the world continues to need the dollar for energy and foreign\nexchange reserves.<\/p>\n
However, in recent years, there have been efforts to reduce that\ndominance. China has pushed for yuan usage in energy trade and has\ndeveloped alternative cross-border payment systems to SWIFT, while\nRussia and Iran have increased non-USD transactions following Western\nsanctions.<\/p>\n
Iran sits at the heart of this dynamic. With exports of around 1\u20131.3\nmillion barrels per day to China, mostly in non-USD arrangements, Tehran\nbecomes a living laboratory for non-dollar energy experiments.<\/p>\n
In this context, the term contagion risk becomes relevant: if one\nenergy-exporting country successfully survives and even grows outside\nthe dollar system, other countries\u2014in Asia, Africa, or Latin\nAmerica\u2014could be urged to follow. Structural demand for the dollar would\nbe eroded, slowly but systemically.<\/p>\n
If this spread, global demand for the USD could be undermined. In\nstrategic terms, maintaining stability in the Gulf\u2014the region that\nsupplies around 20% of the world\u2019s oil via the Strait of Hormuz\u2014is not\nonly about security but also about preserving the foundation of the\nmonetary system that underpins America\u2019s global position.<\/p>\n
Further still, the BRICS+ expansion\u2014now including Iran and several\nlarge energy producers\u2014accounts for more than 35% of global GDP (PPP\nbasis) and more than 40% of the world\u2019s population. This is not merely a\npolitical symbol; it is the embryo of an alternative financial\necosystem.<\/p>\n
Energy Denial<\/p>\n
This strategy aims to hold the \u2018neck\u2019 of the rival country\u2019s economy,\nwith target being China and Russia. By controlling the Strait of Hormuz\nand destroying Iran\u2019s export capacity (and previously Venezuela\u2019s), the\nUnited States effectively becomes the arbiter of who may obtain energy\nand at what price. This is a form of economic siege before open conflict\nbegins.<\/p>\n
China is the world\u2019s largest energy importer. By crippling supply\nfrom Venezuela (already locked in) and now Iran, the United States\neffectively encircles China. Without cheap energy from the \u2018Axis of\nResistance\u2019, Chinese manufacturing costs would rise, its export\ncompetitiveness would fall, and domestic stability would be\nthreatened.<\/p>\n
Russia needs Iran as a energy and logistics transit corridor towards\nthe South (India and Southeast Asia) to avoid European blockades.\nDestroying Iran\u2019s stability would lock Russia into remaining on the\nNorthern continent. Attacks on Iran\u2019s oil infrastructure (Bandar Abbas,\nKharg Island). This causes Brent prices to surge to $120+ per\nbarrel.<\/p>\n
Price spikes are often seen as harming everyone, but in the Energy\nDenial view, this is an asymmetric US advantage, as the US is currently\nthe largest oil and gas producer (shale). Higher prices actually benefit\ndomestic US producers, while for China, which is a pure importer, the\nprice of $120 is a \u2018deadly tax\u2019 on its economy.<\/p>\n
The US is prepared to let the world endure inflation as long as the\n\u2018China engine\u2019<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/behind-the-security-rhetoric-1772629155", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }