Strait of Hormuz closed; politics plays spoilsport
On February 28, when the US and Israel had attacked Iran, a war which was absolutely unnecessary and illegal, President Donald Trump had told the world he would ‘finish the job’ fast either through negotiations or renewed military strikes.
However, what the world has been witnessing since then is altogether a different scenario: a country of about 90 million people’s dogged determination to fight back.
Iran’s top military command yesterday announced the closure of Strait of Hormuz citing alleged US non-compliance with a peace agreement and continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon. “The closure of the Strait is the first step”, Iran said warning that additional measures could follow if “aggression” continued.
On Sunday, US vice-President J.D.Vance had met the Iranian negotiators in Zurich.
On June 16, President Trump had said he and the vice president had signed electronically a document with the Iranians, finally ending the war formally. He also announced that Iran had agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz, and that the US had won the war.
Has the war really ended? Can the US-Iran ‘deal’ survive the Israeli bombing on Lebanon?
On March 14, in an interview with CGTN, renowned economist Prof Jeffrey Sachs had said that the US and Israel had ‘underestimated’ Iran. He also added that over the past 25 years the US military had attacked countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Venezuela.
After the ceasefire deal early this week, the US economist had expressed doubt saying: “Is it a peace deal or tactical pause?” The deal, mediated by Pakistan, was extremely “fragile given that Israel was not a formal party to the agreement”, Prof Sachs, also a distinguished public policy analyst, had added.
The agreement, he said, seemed to call for an end of hostilities. The phrase that the Pakistani announcement used, Prof Sachs added, was “a permanent end to hostilities. It ostensibly comes in phases, and two broad phases. One is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the international oil and gas traffic. And the second phase is about the nuclear issues….”
Prof Sachs also said: “It seemed that the agreement does not include other kinds of demands that the US had once upon a time put on the table about Iran’s missile system or its support for other groups in the region such as Hezbollah…”
Prof Sachs tore into President Trump’s ‘thuggish behavior’ saying that the US President had proven wrong after he had threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages”. He also said ‘such rhetoric must stop’.
The war against Iran has triggered an unprecedented global energy crisis. Iran’s strategy of blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital energy maritime choke point, has made Trump bewildered and baffled.
For Iran, it’s not a war of choice — it’s a battle for existence — a battle for which the nation had been preparing since the 1979 sanctions, largely spearheaded by the US and the UN.
The sanctions caused a significant economic strain on the Khomeini regime. Military analysts and intelligence guys, however, are stunned by Iran’s retaliatory resilience. The country has proved its ‘missile dominance’ after eight weeks of US’ aerial bombing.
Iran ‘most oppressed team’ in FIFA World Cup 2026
Meanwhile, Iran’s football head coach Amir Ghalenoei, has said his team is “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup”. According to an al Jazeera report, Iranian players are extremely unhappy over the restrictions imposed on them: they can travel to venues only 24 hours of their fixture and must return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, directly after each game.
Iran was forced to return to Mexico immediately after the match against New Zealand, halving typical training and recovery time. Als0, as many as 15 support staff and delegation members were denied entry visas to the US.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director White House FIFA World Cup Task Force, has defended the strict travel restrictions for the Iranian national team.
World Cup is much more than football—it’s a global celebration of unity and camaraderie that brings people from across the world together. The way Iranian players are being treated on the American soil is a shame on the US, one of the three countries hosting the World Cup this year.
Update
US and Iran have agreed to reach final ‘deal’ in 60 days. Negotiations continue in Switzerland
Iran produced a disciplined display against Belgium last night and one win away from making history
