By Chokri Baccouche
A concern is not necessarily a fool’s encircle, said the famous French comedian Raymond Devos in one of his sketches. Applying this quote of exceptional spiritual finesse to the current situation prevailing in the Middle East, we can say that the Iranians may be concerned and perhaps encircled on the side of the Strait of Hormuz, but they are far from being fools.
Proof of this is that after announcing the previous day the complete reopening of this strategic maritime route for commercial vessels, Tehran decided to reseal it in retaliation for the US blockade on Iranian ports.
“Iran has ‘faithfully agreed to allow the passage of a limited number of tankers and commercial vessels’ but the Americans, violating their commitment, ‘continue to engage in acts of piracy under the guise of the so-called blockade’,” denounced the Iranian armed forces command.
“It is for this reason that the situation has returned to its former state, and this strategic passage is now under our strict control,” they added.
It must be said that Donald Trump clearly has no intention of lifting the blockade. He declared on Friday evening that he will maintain it if no peace agreement is reached with Tehran, mentioning the possibility of not extending the ceasefire which is set to expire this Wednesday, April 22.
Clearly, the standoff between the United States and Iran has turned into a game of cat and mouse near a large switch: you block our ports? So be it! Then, no one gets through. Just when everyone was hoping for a de-escalation of tensions, we are back to square one due to the morbid obstinacy, it must be admitted, of the American president who persists in believing, wrongly, that only threats, violence, and arrogance can settle the situation and allow the United States to always have the upper hand.
Let’s say it straight, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is not a sudden demonstration of irrationality. It is a brutal response – albeit – to an American policy that now openly relies on economic and military coercion.
The facts are there: Washington is imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports while demanding free maritime movement in the region. This stance is not only inconsistent – it is profoundly cynical. Donald Trump, always equal to his immeasurable self-centeredness and his arrogance, which has become legendary, essentially wants it all – to have the butter, the money for the butter, and the mullahs’ big smile in XXXL size.
Just to satisfy his unrestrained self-centeredness and make it appear that the United States are in a position of strength, imposing their wishes and dictating their conditions. In reality, this is obviously not the case as none of the goals outlined by Washington and its Israeli ally since the start of this sordid war against Iran have been achieved.
On the contrary, the regime of the mullahs not only holds its ground but has shown an impressive resilience that now propels Iran as an undisputed and uncontested regional power.
If the US president persists in thinking that by maintaining the blockade on Iranian ports he can force Tehran to accept a peace agreement according to his expectations, it can truly be said that he believes in Father Christmas. For objective reasons, this is not likely to happen at all.
The White House would be well advised to come to terms with the fact that the times of omnipotence and hegemony in international relations are becoming a thing of the past, as confirmed by the ongoing geopolitical upheavals in a world moving towards a complex multipolarity.
While major powers like the United States and China remain dominant, they can no longer impose their will unilaterally and must deal with a multitude of other actors, which is certainly better for everyone, particularly for vulnerable nations.
While waiting for reason to prevail and for Donald Trump to come back with better intentions, the world is faced with a geopolitical yo-yo on the backdrop of a three-step waltz: Hormuz is closed, then open, then closed again. This is enough to throw off the compass of the captains of hundreds of ships stranded for months, forced to move forward, then stop, before turning back due to the fickle moods of Donald Trump.
In the meantime, the international energy market is obviously at a loss, dragging all the world’s economies into chaos and uncertainty on its mad race towards disarray…
C.B.
