TEHRAN- A renowned political scientist says the US is expanding the conflict while alienating Europe.

Professor John Mearsheimer, one of America’s most prominent international relations scholars, has warned that the failure to reach a peace agreement with Iran risks dramatically widening the war in the Middle East.

In a recent address at the University of Chicago, Mearsheimer — the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science — argued that the United States is not only expanding its military confrontation with Iran but also deepening a dangerous rift with European allies.

According to Mearsheimer, the combination of an escalating Iran war and a widening transatlantic divorce places the US in a strategically vulnerable position. He suggested that without a diplomatic off-ramp, the conflict could spiral far beyond its current borders, drawing in more actors and creating prolonged instability.

The professor, known for his realist theory of international politics and his critical views on US interventionism, has long argued that Washington’s posture toward Tehran is counterproductive. He reiterated that making peace with Iran — rather than pursuing regime change or military pressure — is the only viable path to avoiding a larger regional conflagration.

Mearsheimer also noted that Europe is increasingly breaking away from US policy on the war, leaving America more isolated on the world stage. He described this growing divorce as a strategic blunder that weakens the Western alliance precisely when coordinated action is most needed.