In Iran, Trump Has Found an Opponent He Cannot Easily Dominate

The New York Times  |  Peter Baker

President Donald Trump is struggling to secure concessions from Iran as a previously brokered ceasefire collapses, extending a conflict initially projected to last four to six weeks into its 20th week. This strategic impasse was highlighted on the 136th day of the war by a short-lived proposal to levy transit tolls on vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz.

The sudden policy shift, reversed on Day 137 following immediate protests from Arab allies, exposes the limitations of unilateral transactional diplomacy in the Persian Gulf. Although the administration previously achieved rapid foreign policy objectives through trade tariffs, NATO defense spending pressures, and a surgical commando raid in Venezuela, Tehran has resisted conforming to these coercive playbooks. With the bilateral memorandum of understanding now collapsed, Washington lacks a coherent military or diplomatic framework to resolve the hostilities, leaving the administration adrift in a historically volatile region.

Comment

Levying transit tolls in the Strait of Hormuz undermines the transit passage regime established under international maritime law. Commercialising security in vital chokepoints alienates regional partners and destabilises global trade. For India, which protects its energy imports through Operation Sankalp, such ad-hoc architectures threaten critical sea lanes.

To read in details click here