US Intel report says Iran now has powers to shut Strait of Hormuz at will
Washington DC, June 17
US intelligence agencies' assessment revealed on Wednesday that Iran has acquired the ability after the war to shut the Strait of Hormuz at will, sources told CNN.
Iran's ability to hurt the economy using the critical waterway can crop up again regardless of the framework agreement to be signed on Friday, the assessment revealed.
Iran has now become the US' Achilles heel as it has learnt to leverage the strikes on Gulf countries' energy infrastructure, the sources familiar with the assessment told CNN. Iran had struck US bases in the neighbouring countries- the bases which were meant to be the safety guarantors by the US.
"We have now handed Iran de facto control over the strait - a weapon more powerful than any nuke," one of the sources familiar with the US intelligence assessments told CNN.
The US has had to negotiate with Iran intensively to fully re-open the strait, underscoring the Iranians' continued leverage.
US Vice President JD Vance, while speaking on the Iran deal to be signed on Friday in Switzerland, "It says, one, Iran can't have a nuclear weapon, two, the Straits of Hormuz are open, and number 3, there are all of these benefits contemplated that the Iranians can get if they behave... If they don't [behave], they don't get anything," without elaborating what the benefits are.
Uncertainty over the contents of the agreement and other risks are also likely to keep traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a trickle for weeks or months, shipping industry officials and experts who track ship movements told CNN.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to publicly release the text of the agreement with Iran "in a couple of days" and even floated reciting the entire document in front of cameras. The US President indicated that he is waiting for a "formal setting" before revealing it publicly.
"I'd like to get a formal setting first before we do that, but I have no problem with that. It's a great document," he said during a meeting with the leader of the United Arab Emirates, President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
Detailing the core substance of the accord, the US President added, "Here's what it says: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."
The President signed the agreement electronically on Sunday, but the full text hasn't been publicly disclosed. Neither members of Congress nor Trump's fellow world leaders have read it in full. But the US President downplayed any secrecy.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Classic American overreach - they went in, bombed bases, and now Iran has learned to play their own game. This VP Vance sounds like he's reading a script. "If they behave"? Who died and made US the global parent? India should be investing in Chabahar port and alternative routes ASAP.
As someone living in the Gulf, I can tell you this is already being felt. Shipping rates have tripled in the last month. The US intelligence assessment just confirmed what everyone here already knew - Iran has all the leverage. This deal is just a face-saving exercise.
Interesting how the US keeps the deal's text secret while Trump talks about reading it on camera. Either it's so weak they're embarrassed, or so strong it'll cause backlash. Either way, India needs to diversify energy sources. Time to fast-track renewable energy and Russian oil deals! 🛢️
My father worked in the shipping industry for 30 years. He always said the Strait of Hormuz is the world's most strategic chokepoint. The US has been playing with fire by striking Iranian assets in neighboring countries. Now they've created the very crisis they were trying to avoid. Naive geopolitics.
Respectfully, this article reads like US propaganda to justify the deal. "Iran can shut the strait" - so what? They've always had that capability. The real issue is US sanctions and military presence in the Gulf. India should maintain good relations with both sides and not get dragged into this mess.
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