The military conflict that the United States and Israel launched against Iran on February 28 remains in a tense lull rather than at a definitive end, according to Al Jazeera. With major combat temporarily paused and diplomacy stalled, both sides are reportedly preparing for the next phase of hostilities.

According to Al Jazeera, the conflict escalated when US President Donald Trump announced that the US had begun 'major combat operations' in Iran. Al Jazeera reported that the opening strikes of the war resulted in the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

Background

According to Al Jazeera, the roots of the conflict stretch back decades. The report notes that Iran has been a target for more than 70 years, citing the 1953 overthrow of elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh by the CIA and British intelligence after he nationalised Iranian oil. Following this, the US installed the shah and backed his police state until the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Al Jazeera further stated that the US supported Saddam Hussein's war against Iran in the 1980s, followed by four decades of economic warfare, covert operations, cyberattacks, and assassinations. President Trump later tore up the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018, bombed Iran's nuclear sites in June 2025, and joined Israel in open war in February of this year.

Regarding Israeli policy, Al Jazeera reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen a path centered on the drive to remove Palestinians from their land, campaigning alongside 'national religious' allies including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Al Jazeera noted that the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 offered Israel full normalisation in return for a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, an offer that the report states still stands.

Why it matters

For readers in Pakistan, developments in the Middle East carry profound strategic, economic, and humanitarian implications. The ongoing tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran directly impact regional stability in South-West Asia, influencing global energy supplies, diaspora communities, and diplomatic alignments.

What's next

According to Al Jazeera, major combat has paused, diplomacy has stalled, and both sides are preparing for the next round of conflict.