Escalating tensions between the US and Iran brought the countries to the brink of war earlier this year, and the situation has far from improved since then. While Washington and Tehran have so far mostly confined direct offensive actions to the cyber realm, an incident like the recent drone attacks on Saudi Arabia could lead to a full scale military conflict. Analysts warn that a war between the US and Iran, both assisted by their allies, would be an unwinnable disaster.

In June of this year, Iran shot down a US military drone in the Gulf region. In response, US President Donald Trump approved military strikes on a number of Iranian radar and missile batteries. However, when the aircraft and ships involved in the operation were all in position, Trump abruptly cancelled the strikes. Instead, Washington opted for a strike in cyberspace.

Last month, another incident prompted the Trump administration to once again consider military action against Iran. Saudi Arabia’s oil sector was struck in a a series of drone attacks. While Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the strike, the US, Saudi Arabia and various other governments, including those of France, Germany and the UK, have said that Iran was behind the attacks. So far all these countries have stopped short of calling the incident an act of war, but that could change in the near future, and if it does, the consequences could be catastrophic for all sides involved.

Read more: Any war between the US and Iran would be a catastrophe. And no one could win it