Iran is using the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining chip in talks with the United States. The waterway has now become a global problem extending well beyond the two countries directly involved.
Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem said: “All attention is now on reopening the Strait of Hormuz — that’s what’s dominating the discussion. Yet when the war began, the core issues were the nuclear file, the missile program, and Iran’s proxies or allies in the region.”
Hashem said that whatever the situation was before the war, it will not return to what it was. He added that the conflict has moved to another level entirely.
In his view: “Through the Strait of Hormuz, it’s become clear that Iran has found a position of leverage. Some analysts are even describing it as Iran’s geographic nuclear bomb — because with Hormuz under effective use, there will be no way to avoid taking it into account.”