Israel‘s preemptive strikes against arch-enemy Iran, and a tacit green light by the United States to continue, have capped years of aggressive international economic sanctions. Combined with diplomacy, with recent diplomatic efforts to head off Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons, it’s all set the stage for the Iranian regime’s deep vulnerability.

This would have been unthinkable as recently as 2023, between President Donald Trump‘s first and second nonconsecutive terms. Though the Trump administration in early 2020 killed the Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the “Islamic Republic” of Iran’s so-called “Ring of Fire” was as strong as ever. Iranian proxy forces dominated the governments encircling Israel: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and Bashar Assad’s dictatorship of Syria. This Axis of Resistance could rely on Russia for military might and China for cash.