Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Peter Trubowitz, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Phelan US Centre at the London School of Economics. According to Professor Trubowitz, what we are witnessing is a dynamic in which both sides are trying to expand the scope of the conflict in order to gain leverage. Iran has broadened the battlefield by targeting regional actors and threatening the maritime chokepoint. All the while, the United States is attempting, so far unsuccessfully, to draw Asian and European allies into the effort to secure Hormuz.