Iran Has Trump By The Throat Over The Strait Of Hormuz

Editor

Shawwal 13, 1447 2026-04-01

Editorials

by Editor (Editorials, Crescent International Vol. 56, No. 2, Shawwal, 1447)

The Islamic Republic of Iran has not shut the Strait of Hormuz, nor has it mined it, contrary to US allegations. Instead, it has asserted its right to allow commercial ships only from countries not hostile to the Islamic Republic to pass through. Ships carrying goods to the warmongers or their allies or goods from their allies are not permitted passage.

Through this narrow waterway passes more than 20 percent of the world’s oil. Additionally, some 50 percent of the global fertilizer supply also comes through the narrow strait that Iran hugs on the north and east.

This means that the Arabian regimes that are allies of the warmongers and have given them military bases cannot have their vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This has led to rising oil prices and a rapid increase in the price of gas at the pump.

When the evil duo—zionist Israel and the US—unleashed war on Iran on February 28, they assumed that by assassinating its top leaders and military commanders, Iran would come begging for a ceasefire and surrender. This has not happened. They did not realize Iran’s resilience nor anticipate the very significant card it can play: the Strait of Hormuz.

Restricting tanker traffic has caused a major spike in oil prices. This has had a cascading effect on prices of other goods, especially food. Prices of two items in particular affect the average American consumer: gas at the pump and food.

Attempts by the Trump regime to ease pressure on oil prices have failed to make much headway despite lifting sanctions on Iran’s oil—even if temporarily—in the midst of a war it unleashed. Insurance prices have also skyrocketed. Some companies have stopped insuring vessels altogether.

Trump even threatened to escort oil tankers through Hormuz using American warships. It seems his naval commanders were able to disabuse him of this foolish idea.

He then demanded that countries that depend on oil from the Persian Gulf should provide security for oil tankers. When they declined, Trump called them “cowards”. He even asked China for help, the very country whose economy he was trying to wreck by attacking Iran.

Together with the zionist war criminals, Trump’s aim was to destroy the Islamic Republic. For 47 years, successive US regimes have imposed stifling sactions on Iran preventing it from selling oil on the international market. The US tried to strangle the Iranian economy causing enormous harm to ordinary people.

In addition to lifting sanctions on the very country they unleashed an illegal war against (Iran), the US also agreed to release hundreds of millions of barrels from its strategic reserves, and eased some sanctions on Russian oil. None of these measures has proved effective.

“This is the biggest disruption to the oil markets that you can imagine,” Neelesh Nerurkar, a former senior Trump Energy Department official, told CNN. “The shortfall is so large that the measures available are dwarfed by how much oil is not reaching the market.”

In typical style, Trump also resorted to lies. He claimed his regime has had very good discussions with “senior Iranian officials.” When asked to name these officials, he refused but insisted they were “senior officials” who wanted to make a deal with the US.

Iranian officials rejected these claims. They said no negotiations have taken place and none are contemplated. They did, however, reveal that some intermediaries from neighbouring countries had approached the Islamic Republic. Iran told them that since the US started the war, they should go and talk to the Americans.

So, why would Trump make such preposterous claims that can easily be refuted? He is desperate to ease the pressure on markets but his contradictory statements have maed matters worse. Such statements have failed to contain the skyrocketing price of oil and gas.

The fear among Trump regime officials is that the higher prices triggered by the war could linger for months. This is especially acute as fighting in West Asia intensifies and passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains nearly impossible.

This is what terrifies Trump. As a consequence of his failed policies, his approval ratings have plummeted. There is every likelihood that the Republicans will lose control of both houses of Congress to the Democrats in the November 2026 elections. Trump’s impeachment may follow.

Millions of Americans joined rallies in more than 3,000 cities and towns across the US on March 28. This reflects the deep anti-Trump sentiment.

The Islamic Republic has outlined six key conditions for ending the war. These are part of what officials describe as a new legal and strategic framework:

• Guarantees to prevent the recurrence of war
• Closure of US military bases in the region
• Reparations to the Islamic Republic for damage to infrastructure
• An end to wars across all regional fronts including against the Palestinians in Gaza, Hizbullah in Lebanon, the Iraqi militias and against the Ansarallah in Yemen
• Establishment of a new legal framework for the Strait of Hormuz recognizing Iran’s sovereignty over it
• Prosecution and extradition of media figures deemed hostile to Iran

The Islamic Republic has now added another condition: Iran will charge a levy on all commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. While western official have balked at this Iranian demand, this is not dissimilar to what Egypt charges for passage through the Suez Canal. Both Canada and the US charge levies on ships passing through the St Lawrence Seaway. The same applies to passage through the Panama Canal or the Bosphorous Sea in Turkiye.

Islamic Iran is within its legal, moral, political and maritime right to demand such charges. After all, it is the victim of unprovoked aggression and has suffered decades of illegal sanctions. If the move disrupts global energy supplies, so be it. These cannot take precedence over the livelihood and survival of ordinary Iranians.

The Americans have illegally stolen hundreds of billions of dollars of Iranian assets. Iran’s imposition of charges on ships is a legal way to collect revenues. Trump’s bluster has only exposed the hollowness of his threats.

Iran has got him by the throat; he is thrashing about wildly to get free. It will not be easy. He has little choice but to surrender to the Islamic Republic and accept the very reasonable demands it has put forward. Failing that and the world can expect the price of crude oil to shoot beyond $200 a barrel. Global recession, worse than the 1929 crash, will follow.

The war criminals need to be taught a lesson even if it means a global recession. Sometimes such shock therapy is necessary to snap the war criminals out of hubris.