The core of the conflict is economic pressure. The US is using a blockade to cut off Iran's primary source of revenue from oil, while Iran is leveraging its control over the critical Strait of Hormuz, creating a high-stakes standoff.
The Iranian leadership is described as a hardline 'Third Islamic Republic' dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This regime is ideologically committed to its nuclear program, resistant to compromise, and believes time is on its side in the conflict with the US.
The US foreign policy under President Trump has shifted to a militaristic, "force first" approach that is disinterested in traditional allies. This unilateralism is evident in the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the current preference for blockades over multilateral diplomacy.
The Iranian people are suffering immensely under both sanctions and their own government's oppression. Widespread protests demanding regime change have been met with lethal force, with thousands of demonstrators killed, highlighting the regime's determination to maintain power at any cost.
Keep pulling the thread on Suzanne Maloney.