As long as both Trump and Netanyahu occupy their respective offices until early 2029, we can't rule out another full fledged war, though I think that is unlikely. But any change in the US leadership--even today if Trump has a heart attack and Vance becomes the POTUS, then I am nearly certain the posture on Iran and the larger Middle East will change.
Attacking Iran directly was seen as a red line for decades.
As soon as the proxies were taken care of one-by-one, Iran looked primed to be attacked.
First, they droned Iran's most popular General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020.
- Iran learns no lesson.
- Iranian nationalists and the IRGC, we demonstrated our missile capability.

Next, they attacked Iran's Consulate in Syria in 2024.
- Hezbollah receives pagers.
- Butcher Al-Assad flees to Russia.
- Iranian nationalists and the IRGC, damn the Turks, damn the Arabs, damn the Pakistanis, damn everybody. We still have the Houthis.

The US and Houthis sign a ceasefire in May 2025.
First test run bombing launched on Iran in June 2025.
- Analysts predict Iran has about 6 months before the US hammers it.
- Iranian nationalists and the IRGC, we lit Israeli skies, no one will dare attack Iran ever again. We are going nuclear. Yeah baby.

Full scale war is declared on Iran in 2026, and vast majority of Iran's military assets are attacked and destroyed.
- Khamenei Sr is killed on day one.
- Khamenei Jr goes into hiding for 4 months.
- International analysts predict Iran will be dead meat in 2027.
- Iranian nationalists and the IRGC, we won, we won. America is going to give us free money now. We are going to rule from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Yeah baby.

Conspiracy Theory
Discussions behind closed doors:
R4 (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt) help Iran to understand, you need to let the US kill off all the fanatics in Iran if you want to move on and don't want to be nuked.
Iran (reformists/normal people), okay but we must not be seen as the anti-fanatics or collaborators. Deal is we rule Iran and not the Pehlavists. We'll dangle some victory carrots to the ordinary people during the death and destruction phase.
US (just business), okay, deal. We will swear at the Iranian Government and they can swear back at us, but we'll do as much damage to the Iranian military assets as possible until the military is taken over by the reformists.
China/Russia (just business), okay but you can't take all the oil and we also want a big piece of the pie too... And, not another Libya please.