Donald Trump has once again reached for the loudest possible threat: "A thousand missiles are ready and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, and thousands more will follow if the Iranian government does anything." The pretext - an alleged plot to assassinate him.

The American president said through his network that the orders have already been issued and that the military machine is "prepared, willing and able" to completely destroy all parts of Iran within one year. Rhetoric that sounds apocalyptic - but which, with Trump, we already recognise as a style rather than always an announcement of real action. The question the sober reader asks is: how much of this is a plan, and how much a show for the home audience?

Alongside the threats came a more concrete move - new sanctions. The target is Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker based in Dubai, as well as 13 individuals and entities connected to the top of the Iranian government, plus three exchange bureaus. According to the US Treasury, Ansari used public money to build property and businesses abroad on behalf of the Iranian authorities and the Revolutionary Guard. Sanctions are quieter than missiles, but often stronger - money is the bloodstream of every regime.

Tehran did not stay silent. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of breaching the previous agreement with the new sanctions, while the chief negotiator said Iran is ready for "full defence" and will not surrender. Both sides are speaking in a raised tone, and between them stands a fragile truce they can't even agree exists.

Why does this concern us? Because escalation between the US and Iran doesn't stay locked in the Gulf - it hits oil prices, the stability of an entire region, and the market jitters felt even by a small economy like ours. When two big players toy with a thousand missiles, the small ones on the margins always pay the consequences, even without firing a single shot.