Lyse Doucet: Strait of Hormuz remains the fault line as the Iran and US drift back into war
Last night, away from the noise of this escalation, its parliament quietly introduced a new bill to manage the strait, called Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
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When asked when Iran would give up control, his answer was short and sharp: “Never.”
He described it as “an asset for confronting the enemy.”
Iran’s zero confidence in US promises, fueled by repeated outbreaks of war or threats during negotiations, has strengthened Iran’s resolve.
He sees control of the strait not only as a bargaining chip in this stalemate, but also as a new trump card, a new form of deterrence and an economic lifeline in case sanctions are never lifted and his assets around the world are frozen.
But Tehran’s determination to rewrite the rules in the region is also causing tensions with neighbors such as Qatar, one of the main mediators of this crisis, and Oman, a long-time traditional ally of Iran that has played a behind-the-scenes role for decades.
Countries such as the United Arab Emirates have made clear that Iran’s plans to play a control role, including demanding some form of “service fee”, are unacceptable and set a dangerous precedent.
A mutually informed source said Oman objected to Iran’s specific mention of the same controversial fifth article in the agreement: Iran “will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define future governance and maritime services”.
Muscat now finds itself caught between Washington’s wishes, and Tehran wants above all to preserve its long-standing reputation as the region’s secret diplomatic intermediary.
“Oman has been very patient with the Iranians’ efforts to maintain good neighborly relations,” Omani analyst Professor Abdullah Baabood told the BBC’s Newshour program. he said.
“This particular incident has pushed Oman to take a pretty significant stand… but we want this dispute to be resolved through dialogue.”
Some observers still see little chance of compromise.
