‌🖊Amir Azimi

After 10 days of exchanging attacks with the United States over control of the vital waterway of the Strait of Hormuz, it appears that Iran’s leaders have three options ahead—none of which offers a clear path to victory.

The first option for Iran is to accept much of Washington’s demands: by ending attacks against commercial shipping, ensuring the free and secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, shelving or reducing Iran’s highly enriched uranium reserves, and agreeing to extensive inspections by the global body monitoring nuclear activities.

Alternatively, it can be expected that the U.S. maritime blockade of Iran’s ports will end, sanctions will be lifted, and the war will also end.

This is probably the lowest-cost option, but politically it is the most costly.

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz without guaranteeing Iran’s role in managing this waterway would mean giving up something that some in Tehran consider a newly discovered deterrence tool.

Continued from:

📸Getty/ EPA/ NurPhoto via Getty/ Reuters/ AFP via Getty/ maps4media via Getty/ Anadolu via Getty