The Hormuz Crisis: An Alternative View | Substack | Anas Alhajji

Excerpt from the article.

The ongoing crisis can be viewed in two main ways:

• Iran and its nuclear program as the central focus of the conflict. In this narrow lens, the war revolves primarily around containing or neutralizing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. If that’s the case, any impact is short-lived. Regardless, the US will benefit, even in the long term, from the closure of the Hormuz strait
• Iran as one piece in a much larger geopolitical puzzle. Here, the current events fit into a broader US strategy encompassing trade wars, economic sanctions, tariffs, control over chokepoints like the Panama Canal, both ends of the Red Sea, pressures on Venezuela, interest in Greenland, and other elements. This aligns with the framework laid out in the US National Security Strategy released in November 2025. In this case, the implications extend far beyond the short term. Disruptions would reshape global economics, politics, trade patterns, and investment flows for decades, marking a truly historic realignment.

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Who is responsible for closing the Strait of Hormuz?

It ultimately comes down to either the United States or Iran: