Second US Strike on Iran in Two Weeks Signals Escalatory Cycle, Not One-Off Retaliation

The US struck Iranian military facilities across southern ports and Qeshm Island on July 7, citing attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. This marks the second round in twelve days—a pattern suggesting cyclical escalation rather than contained deterrence. If Iran and the US continue alternating strikes, the strait risks becoming a sustained battlespace, destabilizing global oil markets and regional states uninvolved in the exchange.