Originally Posted by
Turbosina
Putin's former #2 had this to say, and he's absolutely right:
"It’s not clear how the truce between Washington and Tehran will play out. But one thing is certain — Iran has tested its nuclear weapons. It’s called the Strait of Hormuz. Its potential is inexhaustible,” said Dmitri Medvedev, a former president of Russia and deputy chairman of the country’s security council, last week.
Before this, it had been 40 years since Iran tried to close the Strait (during the war with Iraq). They (rightly) feared that closing the Strait would generate a coordinated response from Western powers. But now they've realized they only need a few drones and boats to paralyze tanker traffic. As Medvedev says above, that power may well be more of a deterrent than nuclear weapons ever could be.
Another thing aided and abetted by the fecklessness of our NATO allies. While geography certainly does give Iran an advantage, it’s been the unilateral disarmament of most of Western Europe that has enabled the Houthis, the Iranians, even Somali pirates armed only with AKs to prey on international shipping. Look at France and the UKs response (or lack of it) to this. While they may claim this is pique because Trump didn’t ask them “mother may I?” before kicking this off, the reality is they have so little military capability they really couldn’t be much help or hindrance in keeping open a passage far more important to them than to the US.