EZReview - A New Conflict

 A New Conflict

Where is the EXIT?

EZReview - June 17th, 2025

It's been widely reported that a new conflict between Iran and Israel started on June 13th. Despite the stunning early successes in Israel's unprecedented strikes on Iran, a weekend of intensive bombardment and retaliation is raising questions about Israel's exit strategy. 

While the Israeli war planes pummel the Iranian military sites, dozens of Israelis have been killed in the retaliations. On Monday, another round of bloody strikes struck the port city of Haifa by an Iranian missile barrage. At least 224 people in Iran and 24 people in Israel have been killed in the attacks since Friday, according to officials. Iranian officials have told mediators they are open to resuming nuclear talks with the United States, but they first want Israel to stop the attacks. Meanwhile, the US, though helping Israel defend against Iranian missile strikes, is for the moment refusing to take part in attacking Iran.

"Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make," US president Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, referring to his intervention last month in a brief confrontation between the two South Asian nuclear neighbors over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

However, unlike India and Pakistan, Israel needs the US' firepower support, not diplomatic intervention.

If the conflict continues, it may be inevitable that the Gulf states will somehow be dragged in, analysts said, as the Gulf states once hoped they would be spared the violent fallout. 

"The end will be diplomatic, not military," one Israeli source told CNN, adding the Israelis' hope is now that their ongoing military action "weakens Iran's negotiating hand" in any future nuclear talks.