SO far, it’s words, not missiles, that fly between the US and Iran.
But there’s no doubt that the latter is testing President Trump’s patience, having shot down an unmanned US reconnaissance drone over the Strait of Hormuz last week.
Mr Trump reportedly prepared military retaliation, describing his forces as “cocked and loaded”.
Then, at the last minute, the President stepped down, tweeting that taking 150 lives for a $150 million drone was “not proportionate”.
However, despite this reprieve, the narrow waterway between Iran and the UAE remains a potential flashpoint.
A fifth of the world’s entire oil supply passes through the 21-mile wide Strait, on the way to, or from, the oilfields and refineries of the Persian Gulf.
Two weeks ago, limpet mines, allegedly planted by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, left two oil tankers holed, with four more similarly attacked off the UAE in May.
With 2,000 companies worldwide involved in transporting oil and gas in the region, there is understandable alarm.
Britain has reportedly sent out some special forces, while the US already keeps its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, with air bases in Oman and Qatar.
It’s thought that Iran’s actions are in response to the harsh economic sanctions, levied by the US on Iran since the US pulled out of the joint nuclear treaty last May.
Iran claims they are intolerable, not least because they also halt their valuable oil exports.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump upped the ante by tightening sanctions further, saying Iran must not have nuclear weapons, although we know the country will have sufficient enriched uranium in months.
Clearly, this is a volatile time and every diplomatic sinew must be stretched as far as they can be to avoid a war.