The Commander of the Quds Force at the Diplomacy and Resistance Conference

The role of the United States under the second Trump administration has added another layer of unpredictability to the regional dynamics. The U.S. participation in the June 2025 conflict, specifically "Operation Midnight Hammer" against Iranian nuclear sites, marked the first time in decades that American forces conducted offensive operations directly against Iranian territory. This deeper alignment between Washington and Jerusalem has emboldened Israeli planners but has also led Iran to target U.S. regional assets, such as the Al Udeid base in Qatar, as a way to signal the cost of intervention. The current coordination between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump focuses on military options for 2026, leaving little room for de-escalation or traditional back-channel communications.