After the events of September 11, the fight against terrorism was pursued with particular seriousness by the US government, which was manifested in a military form, specifically by the invasion of Afghanistan and then by the invasion of Iraq. As time passed and the imposition of extensive military costs on the US, the country, by aligning its interests with regional allies, identified a range of militant groups in the Middle East and West Asia that were aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran as terrorists and adopted mechanisms to counter their influence. The groups that were mostly gathered around the discourse of the Islamic Revolution of Iran outside the borders and included the Syrian government, Hamas militias and the political-military group Hezbollah, and then resistance groups in Iraq and then Yemen were added to them. With the coming to power of Obama, the United States of America has adopted a new strategy to repel threats against itself in various regions, which, although not accompanied by direct participation, military presence and open intervention, has a significant impact on the course of affairs. Using the capacity of regional actors aligned with its interests and its allies in West Asia, including Israel, Turkey, and some members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in the form of coalitions, having military bases, and involving them in the counterterrorism program and remote management, has created a new approach to maintaining its influence in West Asia. This approach has created confrontations, given the presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran as an effective actor in the region and having multiple interests and state and non-state actors fighting for their independence and popular and ideological power. Some of these confrontations are threats to Iran's national security, which is defined beyond borders and has placed the fight against tyranny and support for oppressed and Muslim nations in its foreign policy agenda. In this regard, the present study seeks to examine the US counterterrorism policy in West Asia and discuss its relationship with the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The necessity for conducting such research is to identify the hidden threats of America by involving its allies in the region and confronting them, which is pursued in the form of coalitions and alliances or military and civilian agreements between America and its allies. If this procedure is not managed wisely, it will put the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region at risk, which requires identification and confrontation. In this article, a descriptive-analytical method and library tools have been used.
 
 
Main body
 
The US counter-terrorism policy has been pursued in two ways: military and direct intervention (Bush era) and remote balancing or offshore balancing strategy (after Obama era). The latter strategy has been pursued to repel threats in strategic regions such as West Asia, which is considered part of the Middle East, by involving actors aligned with US interests, creating coalitions and alliances, reducing direct and military intervention of the US, and minimizing the costs of this country. Within the framework of this strategy, transferring responsibility to allies, preventing the rise of US enemies, has found concrete expression in the form of a counter-terrorism program against governments or non-governmental groups that are not aligned with the interests of this country in West Asia. The present study has shown that preventing the influence and intervention of the Islamic Republic of Iran and trying to weaken governmental and non-governmental actors aligned with Iran, promoting Iran phobia and Shiaphobia, and presenting the axis of resistance as a threat are part of the US strategies to legitimize the fight against terrorism in West Asia. The results of this strategy, which has been pursued by balancing the threat against America’s enemies in the region, namely Iran and its allies, lead to the weakening of Iran’s national security from the perspective of weakening its allies in the region. Activating the confrontation between Sunni and Shiite groups to weaken the axis of resistance is also another part of this American approach, which is implemented in the form of offshore balancing and remote management and the participation of American allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Turkey. Establishing a military base, using the capacity and influence of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and trying to align the Lebanese government to weaken Hezbollah’s position and military support for Israel to target the axis of resistance have become possible within the framework of the offshore balancing strategy and without direct American military intervention.
 
Conclusion
 
The results of the study showed that the continued presence of the United States in the West Asian region to combat terrorism during the Obama era and after it, avoiding war and militarism while managing the political and economic affairs of the region with the help of its partners and allies, which has been manifested in the form of an offshore balancing strategy. Within the framework of this strategy, remote management tactics, entrusting regional affairs to regional allies, and effective presence in coalitions and alliances aligned with American interests in West Asia have challenged the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In accordance with this strategy and to satisfy its allies in the region, the United States refers to Hamas, Hezbollah, and other jihadist groups in the region as terrorism, while at the same time supporting countries in the Middle East that fight against groups aligned with Iran. The recent practice of the United States is in conflict with the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is linked to the axis of resistance outside its borders.