Iran leverages Strait of Hormuz closure to renegotiate nuclear deal amid US-Israeli escalation and asymmetric power dynamics
Original framing: “Middle East crisis has given Iran new way to resist nuclear limits, say former US-Iran envoys” — The Guardian - World
The JCPOA’s collapse in 2018 was not an isolated event but the culmination of a century of Western interference in Iran, from the 1907 Anglo-Russian Agreement to the 1953 coup that overthrew Mossadegh. The Strait of Hormuz’s closure mirrors historical patterns of maritime blockades, such as Britain’s 1951 blockade of Iran during the Abadan Crisis, which were used to coerce resource-rich nations into submission. The current crisis also echoes the 1980s 'Tanker War' during the Iran-Iraq conflict, where both sides targeted shipping lanes to disrupt oil flows, demonstrating the Strait’s enduring role as a geopolitical pressure point.
The current crisis is a direct consequence of the JCPOA’s collapse in 2018, a decision driven by Trump’s 'maximum pressure' campaign and Israel’s covert sabotage of Iranian nuclear sites, including the 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is not merely a tactical move but a strategic response to decades of economic warfare, which has impoverished its population while enriching elites in Tehran and Washington alike. The framing of Iran as the aggressor obscures how Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal and the US’s refusal to ratify the NPT create a regional imbalance that incentivizes proliferation. Indigenous Persian concepts of sovereignty and non-Western diplomatic traditions offer alternative pathways to de-escalation, but these are sidelined in favor of a militarized security paradigm. The solution lies in reviving the JCPOA with stricter verification, expanding it into a regional NWFZ, and centering marginalized voices—particularly women and minorities—who have the most to lose from continued conflict.