Military and defense analyst Alex Alfirraz Scheers said Iran is prepared to
accept a return to large-scale conflict with the United States if control of the
Strait of Hormuz requires it. He said the waterway is both a wartime prize and
Iran's largest bargaining chip in future negotiations with the US. Scheers
added: "The US also faces pressure from Gulf Cooperation Council states to
ensure the Strait of Hormuz does not become Iran's exclusive waterway." He said
a memorandum of understanding may not be entirely void but is on life support,
and warned that both sides must recognise that a new round of escalation would
benefit neither party.
