The Strait of Hormuz remains closed and is the main point of dispute in the war between the United States and Iran. The Donald Trump government attacked Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels in the channel this week, continuing the escalation of tensions of recent days.
According to information from the The Wall Street JournalTrump, however, has been discussing privately with advisors whether to declare the war, which has entered its seventh month, over.
To the BdF Connectionyes Radio Brasil de FatoRicardo Leães, professor and researcher of International Relations, assesses that this week’s attacks were characterized by “some rationality”, since news indicated that navigation in the Strait of Hormuz has been reestablished. “The war is a game of cat and mouse. Iran, at first, managed to close the strait, placed a series of mines, has its drones, its speedboats that scared the vessels. But the USA would not watch this inert, so much so that they began to act in the region to remove mines and find alternative paths”, he states.
Leães explains that, at this time, the Iranian strategy was to place traps in Hormuz again, making navigation difficult again. For this reason, the professor continues, the USA carried out this new attack, which was responded to by the Persian government, which reached American military bases in Jordan.
Ricardo Leães reinforces that the economic pressures imposed by the USA on Iran had no effect and that the Strait of Hormuz is the “center of gravity” of the conflict. “This is where the heart of the war is, it is where the war will be politically decided. If the Strait reopens, Iran would no longer be able to put pressure on the US. This is not viable for Iran given its strategic interests”, he assesses.
The expert also comments on China’s recent firm stances in the face of the conflict. Last week, the Shanghai Cooperation Conference took on anti-American contours and one of the countries present was Iran. Leães assesses, however, with some caution the idea that the bloc is anti-NATO, especially because, reinforces the professor, there are quite heterogeneous countries in the composition of the group. “We are talking about a meeting with four nuclear powers that are not Western. We are dealing with a world in which China is increasingly comfortable in assuming an autonomous stance. But China does not take any measures against the West in advance, it only responds to what the US does”, he states.
To listen and watch
The newspaper BdF Connection airs in two editions, from Monday to Friday: the first at 12pm and the second at 5pm, on Radio Brasil de Fato98.9 FM in Greater São Paulo, with simultaneous transmission also on YouTube do Brasil de Fato.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
