As the U.S. Retreats, Iran Fills the Void.

The author contends that Iran is filling up the void being left by the retreat of the U.S. in the Middle East. He notes that Iranian leaders are convinced that U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing U.S. retreat in the region. Iran aspires to attain a regional hegemony in the Middle East and it has started to target Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, Morocco, Kuwait and Jordan, all are close allies of the U.S. This Iranian perception of U.S. retreat is fueled again by the desire of Obama for an exit strategy from Iraq and Afghanistan.