Critically examine how the US-led Global War on Terror altered the regional balance of power in West Asia, with special reference to Iran's rise.

The US declared the Global War on Terror (GWOT) after 9/11 to dismantle terror networks and hostile regimes. Yet in removing the Taliban (2001) and Saddam Hussein (2003) — Iran's two principal adversaries — it also dismantled the structures containing Tehran, making Iran the war's chief strategic beneficiary.

What the GWOT did achieve

• Al-Qaeda's Afghan sanctuary was destroyed and its core leadership degraded.
• A Ba'athist dictatorship was replaced by an elected, Shia-majority government in Iraq.
• Expanded US basing deepened security partnerships with Gulf monarchies.

How the balance tilted towards Iran

• Saddam's fall removed Iran's main regional adversary and produced Baghdad governments led by Shia Islamists seeking positive relations with Tehran [1].
• Iran acquired "strategic depth" — significant leverage inside Iraq plus a contiguous corridor sustaining proxies in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen [1].
• The invasion upended the prevailing Gulf security balance, Iran being its main beneficiary in Riyadh's own assessment [2].

The critical costs

• Sectarian collapse in Iraq birthed al-Qaeda in Iraq, which mutated into ISIS — a counter-terror war that manufactured a deadlier terror actor.
• An entrenched Iran–Saudi proxy contest militarised the region's politics [2].
• Nuclear restraint eroded: by 2023 the Security Council was told Iran's enriched-uranium stockpile exceeded 20 times the JCPOA cap [3].

Culmination by 2026

• Proxy rivalry became direct state confrontation — joint US-Israel strikes on Iran from 28 February 2026, with the Secretary-General warning of a chain of events "no one can control" [4].
• Hostilities spread across nearly a dozen states, disrupting Gulf airspace and shipping — directly touching India's energy security and diaspora interests [5].

The GWOT therefore succeeded tactically against terror networks but faltered strategically, converting a contained Iran into West Asia's pivotal power. Durable stability now demands a renewed non-proliferation framework and an inclusive regional security architecture rather than regime change — consistent with the UN Charter's emphasis on peaceful settlement and with India's balanced West Asia engagement.