Middle Israel: Iran's Strait of Hormuz piracy is a reckless, losing strategy - opinion

Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a reckless, losing strategy, argues columnist Amotz Asa-El. He contends that the move is textbook piracy, trapping 500 ships and 6,000 sailors, and demanding cash for passage. Economically, the strait is replaceable via pipelines, and past oil embargoes backfired. Militarily, Iran cannot break a US counter-blockade. Politically, Iran alienates Arab neighbors and the world, marking the beginning of the end of the ayatollahs' quest for theocracy.

In this opinion column, Amotz Asa-El argues that Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a reckless and losing strategy, both militarily and politically. He frames the move as textbook piracy, noting that Iran has trapped 500 ships and 6,000 sailors and is demanding cash for passage through international waters. Asa-El draws historical parallels, recalling that piracy once rewarded nations like England, but ultimately failed for regimes that used robbery as a substitute for economic development. He contends that the strait's role as an oil transit route is replaceable, as pipelines could reroute Arab crude to Asia and Europe, and he cites the 1970s oil embargo as an example of energetic blackmail backfiring. Militarily, he asserts that Iran cannot break a US counter-blockade, and politically, the move will alienate Arab neighbors and the wider world. He notes that Iran has attacked eight Arab countries with rockets, missiles, and drones, and that Arab governments, represented by Oman, are currently accepting Tehran's suggestion to charge passage fees. Asa-El concludes that this act of desperation marks the beginning of the end of the ayatollahs' quest to impose theocracy on Iran and Shi'ism on all Muslims.