The escalating conflict in the Middle East is drawing in an increasing number of countries, steadily expanding beyond its original scope. This development is examined in a report by Axios.

According to the publication, France has already dispatched its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean. The move effectively places French forces alongside British naval assets in the region after a drone of Iranian origin attacked a British air base on the island of Cyprus.

At the same time, Greece and Turkey — long-time rivals despite both being members of NATO — are also reinforcing their presence on Cyprus. Fighter jets from the two countries have reportedly been deployed on opposite sides of the island’s division line, which has existed for nearly fifty years.

Countries located much farther from the region are also becoming involved. Australia, for example, has announced plans to send missiles and a reconnaissance aircraft to support the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf states in their confrontation with Iran.

The Axios article suggests that although the current situation cannot yet be described as a world war, the international system may now be closer to such a scenario than at any point in recent decades. The crisis involves more states, more major powers and a greater number of overlapping conflicts than any comparable moment since the Cold War, the publication argues.

According to the author, the rising tensions surrounding Iran are already beginning to affect the dynamics of other major global conflicts, including the situation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, on March 10, U. S. President Donald Trump used social media to warn that Iran could face devastating consequences if it continues blocking the Strait of Hormuz. He indicated that the United States would respond with strikes far more powerful than anything previously seen, targeting vulnerable sites in a way that would make it extremely difficult for Iran to recover as a state.

Earlier, U. S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had said that the largest day of strikes against Iran was expected soon.

Iranian officials have dismissed the threats. The secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council stated that the Iranian people are not intimidated by what he described as empty warnings.