ST R AT E G IC E NV IR ONME NT Iran: standing alone against its arch-enemies, the USA, Israel and Saudi Arabia Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, ritualized death wishes to the USA and Israel have been chanted at religious events and state-organized demonstrations. Enmity toward Israel and the USA, both of which supported the Shah of Persia against the revolutionaries, and toward the Wahhabi kingdom of Saudi Arabia is at the ideological core of the regime. Obama, at the time acting President of the USA, and the Western allies hoped that the conclusion of the nuclear treaty (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA) and the associated reintegration of Iran into the global economy, aside from the remaining restrictions on Iran in the nuclear sector, would lead to the gradual liberalisation of the Iranian regime from the inside and the discontinuation of its radically anti-Israeli, anti-American and anti-Saudi policies. The Trump administration obviously does not share this hope. In May 2018, President Trump announced the USA’s withdrawal from the JCPOA. By reintroducing sanctions against Iran that had been lifted or suspended, the USA is aiming Iran’s influence in the region SIT UAT ION R E PORT 2 0 1 9 | FIS 25