A Cycle of Escalation: What's Driving US Iran Tensions? The latest round of strikes between the US and Iran has revived a familiar pattern: cycles of escalation followed by temporary ceasefires.
This cycle is driven in part by underlying factors that increase the situation's precariousness.
US President Trump's decision to launch new strikes on Iran follows an overnight exchange of attacks on Tuesday, during which Iranian state media reported explosions in parts of the country's south.