Welcome to the mega-war: Mideast and European conflicts merge, sucking in more countries along the way—even ones claiming neutrality

Wars in Iran and Ukraine are increasingly overlapping while also expanding, as the U.S. mulls whether to make another attempt at delivering a knockout blow against Tehran.

Last weekend, Ukraine announced that it attacked an Iranian cargo ship ferrying military supplies between Iran and Russia in the Caspian Sea. Iran insisted it’s not involved in Russia’s war on Ukraine, though Kyiv has said Tehran is supplying drones to its ally.

Days later, drones hit liquid natural gas tankers at a port on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, marking the first time the country had been targeted during the Iran war and threatening the Suez Canal’s status as a safe route to get oil out of the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it formed a military coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea as Iran-backed Houthi rebels attack ships using the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which the kingdom has relied on to export its oil and bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Riyadh said 14 countries offered support for the coalition, including Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria and several other Arab and African nations.

Dan Alamariu, chief geopolitical strategist at Alpine Macro, pointed out in a note on Friday that Iran and its allies have struck or threatened nearly every country in the region since the........

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