1. SS: Is the Strait of Hormuz now the central battlefield in the U.S.-Iran confrontation?
Could continuing fighting around the Strait lead to a prolonged disruption of global oil and commercial shipping, and does Iran have an incentive to keep the Strait under pressure as a negotiating tool?
Martin Love (ML): Iran has the incentive to manage Hormuz along with Oman, because both countries achieve leverage and possibly eventual revenue. It's not a plan that ought to invoke ire, aside from the fact that the U.S. is simply jealous of Iran and covets Iranian resources. Do ships pass Suez without a toll? The Panama Canal? No. The battlefield extends beyond Hormuz. In my view the U.S. simply wants to destroy Iran with any means available, and it's a shame because the Trump administration is fully captured by the Zionists who have wanted war on Iran for decades and Trump caved to their demands because they thought the war would be over in a week or two and Iran would collapse. It is the biggest mistake the US has made, some say, since World War 2. Trump meanwhile has all but destroyed his Presidency and is now trying to wreck the Midterm elections in November which could easily hand the US House and Senate to Democrats.
2. SS: After the latest U.S. strikes and Iran's retaliatory missile and drone attacks, do you believe the previous ceasefire framework has effectively collapsed, or is this escalation still being used by both sides to gain leverage before returning to negotiations?
ML: The worst part of this insane war may be that we are looking at the inception of World War 3. As for the ceasefire agreement, presumably the past MOU, that was blown up by the U.S. After the Minab massacre of school kids in Iran last winter you can bet that Iran is not likely to back down. It's heroic. And existential for Iran. But at the same time Trump seems desperate to call "victory" and stop the war unilaterally but perhaps not desperate enough yet. Many in the US are concluding that Trump is mentally impaired and stupid. His polling numbers have been in steep decline. As for "Israel" some 300,000 have left the country for good and it's quite possible Zionism will die and Netanyahu could go to prison for corruption eventually. I have maintained there are four factors that must be expunged from Washington: Hubris, Greed, Arrogance and Stupidity or else the US is at risk atop $40 trillion plus in debts.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist.
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