When an Iranian official this week laid out a list of demands to end the war started by the United States and Israel, he added an item that hadn’t been on Tehran’s list before: recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) ordinarily passes has emerged as the Islamic Republic’s most potent weapon. And it is now seeking to turn into both a source of potentially billions of dollars in annual revenue and a pressure point on the global economy.
Iran has long threatened to close the strait in case of an attack, but few expected it to follow through – or for it to prove so effective in disrupting global trade flows. The scale of the impact appears to have expanded Tehran’s ambitions, with the new demands suggesting it is seeking to turn that leverage into something more durable.
Who do you think attacked first and, more importantly, why do you think Iran tried to get nukes in first place?
Iran has claimed that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. My proposal enables Iranian leaders to save face since they can claim their nuclear program has always been for peaceful purposes. It saves Trump’s face because he can claim that he only wanted Iran not to have nuclear weapons.
Why do you even want to save Trump’s face? The only thing that you may want to protect is the dignity of the whole USA nation, since many ordinary people don’t support this war.
Because it will motivate him to propose and accept the deal.