So what effect is all this having on the region as a whole?

First, it is important to note that two countries previously devastated by ruinous civil wars – Iraq and Syria – are now largely peaceful and stable, at least compared to where they were.

The Gaza war is technically a ceasefire, although Gazans continue to die in airstrikes, while Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, proliferate in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon is on hold as the two countries continue negotiations.

But at this moment it is the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula that worry analysts the most.

Trump has entered a war with Iran from which he cannot seem to find a way out.

Night after night, US airstrikes fail to force the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz.

With each airstrike, the IRGC counterattacks neighboring Arab states that host American bases, trying to drive a wedge between them and Washington.

From an economic perspective, the clock is ticking. Every day that oil, gas, fertilizer and other essential products from the Gulf cannot reach markets through the Strait of Hormuz, pressure is put on global supply chains and, ultimately, prices.

If the Bab El Mandeb Strait also remains closed for some time, the impact on the global economy will be further aggravated.

From a military perspective, tensions have risen another notch with the deal announced Wednesday, paving the way for American companies to help Saudi Arabia develop its own domestic civilian nuclear energy program.

There is no indication that the Saudis will use this as a first step toward building a nuclear bomb.

But there are still fears that it could trigger a region-wide arms race in the future, with both Turkey and Egypt stepping up their own nuclear activities while seeking some form of deterrence and protection.

The Middle East has suffered numerous spikes in violence in its recent history and this is not the worst of them.

But taken together, there are a number of worrying aspects that – without a comprehensive and lasting agreement between the United States and Iran – could well indicate a prolonged period of instability for the region.