Iran Debates Whether Hormuz Leverage Is Self-Defeating — SkimNews
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- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned in a June televised interview that the Strait of Hormuz loses its value when traffic decreases, framing the waterway's power as a short-term shock rather than a tool for prolonged restrictions that also damage Iran.
- Commentator Ali Gholhaki, close to parliament speaker Ghalibaf, wrote on X on Thursday that US targeting of Iranian ships is designed to 'discredit the Strait card for Iran' and urged authorities to 'devise a new plan' before Washington erodes the advantage.
- Hardline commentator Alireza Taghavinia rejected the self-defeating argument as 'one of the most ridiculous and baseless things' he had heard, accusing critics of breaking morale, while reformist journalist Mohammad Sohofi argued the strait card only works as a one-time shock for leverage in a deal.
- Kayhan editor Hossein Shariatmadari proposed that Iran disrupt or sever international fiber-optic cables beneath the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, claiming such action would be 'many times more frightening and dangerous for the enemy' than keeping the strait closed — a suggestion Hassan Abbasi warned would also damage Iran's own trade, banking and digital economy.
- Iranian and Omani foreign ministers have discussed creating a temporary shipping corridor as a step toward a permanent arrangement, with the Financial Times reporting on Friday that mediators were working to establish a framework for possible fresh talks after six months of war.
- Andreas Krieg, a Middle East security expert at King's College London, told the moderate Fararu website that a limited Hormuz agreement is the most plausible route from direct confrontation toward broader negotiations, offering a face-saving compromise that would let Tehran claim recognition of its role in securing the strait while Washington claims it restored freedom of navigation.
- The alternative paths discussed in Iranian media — intensified US secondary sanctions under 'Operation Economic Exclusion,' renewed large-scale military strikes, or prolonged attrition involving intermittent strikes, cyber operations and sanctions — are described in the source as considerably darker than the diplomatic route.
Why it matters: The internal Hormuz debate exposes a real strategic cost Iran is now weighing: Ghalibaf's June warning that traffic declines undercut Hormuz's value, Shariatmadari's pivot to fiber-optic cables, and the FT-reported mediation track all point to Tehran scrambling for leverage as mediators and Oman open a face-saving shipping-corridor channel that Washington could claim as restored freedom of navigation.
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