The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
"Pakistan also faces an insurgency in Baluchistan, which Pakistan has also not been able to resolve physically," Wood said.
Pakistan has the option of getting some of the F-16 fighter jets free from the US under the $ 3 billion assistance announced by Washington in 2003.
