I just came across a geopolitical issue worth deep reflection—recently, the US-Iran conflict has escalated, and many people only see the surface-level military confrontation, ignoring what the true root cause of the US-Iran war really is.

Honestly, the roots of this conflict are much deeper than we think. We need to go back nearly a century in history. In 1953, the CIA orchestrated a coup to overthrow Iran’s Prime Minister Mosaddegh, with a very direct goal—controlling oil resources. Afterwards, they installed the Shah’s regime, and Iran became an important US ally in the Middle East. But in 1979, the Islamic Revolution changed everything; the new regime completely turned against the US, and the confrontation between Iran and the US was thus established.

Since then, it’s been a long period of opposition—hostage crises, diplomatic isolation, expanding influence through proxies in the Middle East. By 2015, the two sides reached the JCPOA nuclear agreement, with Iran agreeing to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. But Trump tore up the deal in 2018, reimposing sanctions, which directly ignited Iran’s uranium enrichment race.

The current situation is even more complicated. Iran’s uranium enrichment stockpile has reached 60% purity, with over 400 kilograms stored—approaching weapons-grade levels. Washington insists Iran must dismantle key nuclear facilities like Fordow and Natanz, but Iran refuses, claiming it’s a matter of sovereignty. The core anxiety behind the US-Iran war lies here—America’s perspective is that the window for weaponization is closing and action must be taken now.

But what are the real chips? Energy. Iran possesses 208 billion barrels of oil reserves and 1,200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. More critically, it controls the Strait of Hormuz. Every day, 20 million barrels of oil pass through here, accounting for 20% of global oil flow. If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, its control over energy flows would greatly increase—what does that mean? Inflation, transportation costs, global markets all would be pushed higher.

So, the real reason behind the US-Iran war isn’t just about nuclear weapons; fundamentally, it’s a geopolitical game over energy. Iran has already responded by attacking US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries now show support for the US, which could drag the entire Arab world into regional war, completely reshaping alliances in the Middle East.

For crypto and financial markets, this is a huge variable. Energy price volatility, geopolitical risk premiums, global inflation expectations—all will directly impact asset pricing. The true cause of the US-Iran conflict is layered with history, interests, and realities—on the surface, it’s military confrontation; at its core, it’s a battle over the global energy order.