Trump faces strategic defeat in Iran war as Tehran holds Hormuz leverage
Five months into the war, Iran refuses to yield the strait and escalates attacks.
The United States is staring at a historic “strategic defeat” five months after launching the Iran war at Israel’s behest, according to Middle East observers. The Islamic Republic is unlikely to fully relinquish its new-found hegemony over the Strait of Hormuz, despite President Donald Trump’s daily ultimatums and optimism about a deal. Doing so would mean giving up its leverage over the global economy — its greatest weapon in a war it cannot win militarily.
Having concluded that its June 17 memorandum of understanding with the US is all but dead, Iran is prepared to absorb all the military punishment the Trump administration can dish out. Far from capitulating, the Revolutionary Guards and their Axis of Resistance allies have escalated the conflict, targeting energy infrastructure and supply chains in the Red Sea, Suez Canal, and eastern Mediterranean. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have all been targeted, and Syria could be next. Late Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said negotiations with Oman on reopening the strait were “forward-looking,” but a deal would only happen “if certain third parties do not obstruct this process.”
- Iran won't surrender control of the Strait of Hormuz despite US ultimatums, making it a strategic chokehold.
- Tehran considers the June 17 memorandum of understanding with the US effectively dead and is prepared to absorb military strikes.
- Axis of Resistance attacks have hit energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the Red Sea, with Syria potentially next.
Why It Matters
A prolonged Hormuz closure would disrupt global oil supplies, spiking energy prices and worsening inflation worldwide.