WASHINGTON – After more than a week of strikes that unraveled an ill-fated ceasefire, the conflict between the United States and Iran stands on a knife’s edge.

Now is the time, analysts say, to find a way to draw down an exponentially destructive confrontation – or risk provoking a war that cascades beyond what they may be able to contain.

And though the dangers of escalation are growing, analysts say, neither side can really afford it, either economically or politically at home.

Over the past few days, Iran and the US have dealt blows that quickly went beyond battering military targets and have gradually raised the stakes of their renewed war.

Both sides have struck water and desalination plants that risk depriving tens of thousands of power and water supplies during the deadly Gulf summer heat.

Traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz is once again blocked both by officials in Tehran, the Iranian capital, and those in Washington, while the US has reinstated a blockade of Iranian ports.

US strikes have heavily bombarded roads and infrastructure in southern Iran, killing and trapping civilians, while raising anxieties it is preparing the ground for a potential invasion in the area.

Iran’s strikes on US forces in Jordan have now killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens, bringing the human cost of war much closer to home for Americans while puncturing the Trump administration’s projection of complete military dominance.

“This is the wake-up moment for both sides,” said Elli...