Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was an effective counterbalance to Iran. Then Bush II did Iran a huge favor by removing Saddam.
So let’s not forget Bush the Stupid’s role in all this.
As long as we maintained a modest presence in Iraq (which was finally going well and which the Iraqi gov’t supported, they just didn’t want a token force that still PO’d some of the radicals) and a modest force in Afghanistan (which went very well under Trump), we had Iran in a vise. But Obummer screwed the pooch in Iraq, and then Trump’s policy to leave Afghanistan but with enough force in the region to scorch the Taliban if they misbehaved sort of made the most sense.
Iran and Iraq at war kept the world relatively safe
Perhaps there will be a glitch that causes a pause in their progress.
Which they will blame on Israel.