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Notes -
It would also allow for an eventual drawdown of American forces in the region, similar to how America doesn't really feel a need to keep significant forces on standby in the Med or Caribbean
This would require regime change to something non-hostile to the US, which doesn't look like it's in the cards. If the Iranian regime folds without collapsing, the US will still need to keep significant presence in the area.
I don't think this is strictly speaking true. The US didn't need regime change in Cuba for the Caribbean to become an area of much less concern to it, for instance: sufficiently degraded capabilities suffice.
I do think this (or at least the specific example of Cuba) suggests that long-term sanctions that stick against Iran would probably be necessary in the alternative to keeping a major force presence, and I'm not sure if Iran could be as easily sanctioned as Cuba.
Cuba is a small island nation with no real industry. Iran is a real country with its own industrial base.
Fair enough distinction, although it sounds like things are already pretty bad over there after just a short blockade.
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