US escalates strikes on Iran amid Strait of Hormuz tensions: Systemic militarisation and geopolitical feedback loops
Original framing: “US carries out new hits on Iranian military sites: Report” — Middle East Eye
The current conflict is a continuation of the 1953 coup (Operation Ajax), which installed the Shah’s regime and later led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), during which the US and Gulf states armed Saddam Hussein, set a precedent for proxy warfare in the region. The 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) briefly de-escalated tensions, but its collapse under Trump—followed by the assassination of Soleimani—demonstrates how diplomatic failures and covert ops fuel cycles of retaliation.
The US-Iran conflict over the Strait of Hormuz is not a sudden crisis but the latest iteration of a 70-year geopolitical feedback loop, where oil imperialism, Cold War proxy wars, and sanctions have eroded diplomatic alternatives.
The Strait’s mythologised status—both as a sacred space (Zoroastrian cosmology) and a strategic chokepoint—exposes how cultural narratives are weaponised to justify militarisation, while indigenous communities are displaced by resource extraction. The solution lies not in escalating strikes or sanctions but in dismantling the binary logic of 'security' that frames the region as a chessboard for great powers. A future model must centre regional sovereignty, economic interdependence, and ecological stewardship—where the Strait is governed by the communities who have navigated its waters for millennia, not the generals and oil executives who treat it as a pawn in their games. The trickster’s lesson is clear: the absurdity of endless war becomes visible when we ask who truly benefits from the Strait’s perpetual militarisation—and who pays the price.