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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Dan Sabbagh

Neither US nor Iran can sustain strait of Hormuz standoff indefinitely

United States Iran Donald Trump Hormuz Burcu Ozcelik
A grey naval destroyer in the foreground with a large cargo tanker in the background on calm seas.
USS Rafael Peralta and the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker Stream. Photograph: US Navy/AFP/Getty Images

Exchanges of fire between Iran and the US demonstrate the serious instability of the situation in the Middle East. Though the US strikes late on Thursday were just “a love tap”, according to the US president, Donald Trump, the reality is that neither side can continue the high-stakes standoff in the strait of Hormuz indefinitely.

The US and its ally Israel demonstrated a comprehensive military superiority over Iran – taking minimal casualties in the 38-day war – but Washington has both failed to translate that into strategic dominance and allowed Iran to take control of the strait, driving up the oil price.

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