The war between Iran, the US and Israel appears to be reaching a new turning point. Since Monday, Donald Trump has been sending messages indicating that he is considering resuming airstrikes on Iranian soil, always postponing them at the last minute to leave room for diplomacy. Furthermore, yesterday, Tuesday, Tehran sent a peace proposal via Pakistan demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops from nearby posts, an immediate end to the conflict (as well as Israel's offensive in Lebanon) and the relinquishment of operational control of the Strait of Hormuz. At the time of writing, the United States has not responded publicly to this proposal.
However, Iran appears to be running out of patience with the US president's threats, and has spoken openly of escalating the conflict "beyond the region" if the United States attacks Iran again. "If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time extend beyond the region," the Revolutionary Guard stated in a communiqué released by state media and reported by Reuters. According to the news agency, this would imply an expanded attack on other countries in the Middle East that host US bases.
With the conflict at a standstill, Trump's position is coming under increasing scrutiny even within his own Republican Party ranks, who can hardly defend his decisions any longer with energy prices skyrocketing and global trade blocked by the conflict. With an eye on the mid-term elections and his popularity at an all-time low, the prospects of a victorious exit from the Iran War for the United States seem increasingly remote.