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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/h1csocnmmg
Stalemate over Iranian Control of Hormuz?
(Ynet News) Dr. Raz Zimmt - In Tehran, there is a conviction that Washington is merely playing for time until after the U.S. midterm elections in November, in order to resume the military campaign. In Washington, meanwhile, the assessment is growing that Iran is exploiting the negotiations to buy time to rebuild its military capabilities. From Iran's perspective, the negotiations are meant to enshrine in an agreement the achievements of the war, foremost among them the change in the status of the Strait of Hormuz. For the Iranian leadership, this is a principled expression of the creation of a new regional order that recognizes Iran's upgraded status. The U.S., by contrast, seeks to obtain through diplomacy what it failed to obtain through military and economic pressure, including a return to the status quo in the Strait of Hormuz and the reduction of Iran's nuclear capabilities. The writer is head of the Iran and Shiite Axis Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).