امیر عظیمی

Iran faces three strategic choices in its confrontation with the United States over the Strait of Hormuz: accepting Washington’s demands in exchange for sanctions relief and an end to conflict, escalating military pressure to force concessions, or sustaining limited tensions to maintain leverage without triggering full-scale war. Internal divisions among Iranian political, military and security actors complicate decision-making, and uncertainty persists over the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under the leadership of Mojtaba Khamenei. Prolonged instability in the strait risks accelerating regional efforts to bypass Iran, reducing the waterway’s strategic value. Economic strain and public hardship heighten domestic pressure, while the United States also faces difficult strategic options, suggesting the confrontation may continue through cycles of limited conflict and temporary de-escalation.