The Iran conflict is being framed as the start of a much bigger global fight, splitting major powers into two camps — bad news for anyone hoping the war stays small.

• What looks like just the US versus Iran is really a wider war with more countries pulling in.
• One side lines up the US, Israel, and Ukraine; the other lines up Russia, China, and Iran.
• Ukraine attacked an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea, tying the Iran fight to the Russia-Ukraine war.
• Russia is helping Iran build drones, and China is selling Iran weapons, including tens of millions of dollars in portable rocket launchers.

Outlook: The conflict looks set to keep spreading as these two blocs get more tangled up in each other's fights.