Unfinished Business: 5 Explosive Reasons Israel vs. Iran Is Far From Settled

The war no one declares — but neither side is ready to walk away from

Jul 15, 2025

∙ Paid

The almost two-week-long war between Israel and Iran has shifted the tectonic plates of the Middle East. A new landscape is forming that is redefining integration, alliances, and regional competition. Some of the effects are already being felt. The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has announced that it is ending its Gulf operations, in part due to regional geopolitical tensions.

Part of the new status quo is the continuation of war and the high probability that the US, Israel, and Iran could trade barbs soon. Anybody betting that the conflict is over and stability will return to the Middle East should think again. The Israel-Iran war that began last April, when Tehran struck Israel directly for the first time in modern history, is only in its opening chapter. The joint US-Israeli strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities have only temporarily paused the fighting, as all sides take stock of what has happened.

Many signs point to the Israel-Iran fight restarting. The five biggest are below.