The United States and Iran have been locked in a cycle of escalating tensions since 2018, when the Donald Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran. This has led to a series of hostile encounters between the two countries, including drone strikes, missile attacks, high-profile assassinations, and cyberattacks. Iran has also ceased abiding by the nuclear deal, enriching uranium beyond the agreed limits and raising fears of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

In this tense and volatile context, which has not improved much under the Joe Biden administration, a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran has raised hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough and a broader de-escalation of tensions in the region.

The deal stands out as a rare positive development amid worrying signs, such as the United States sending thousands of more troops to the Persian Gulf region and reportedly considering the option of deploying US troops on commercial vessels to deter Iranian oil tanker seizures, a tactic that Washington has not used since World War II.