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Source: https://www.thefp.com/p/a-way-out-of-the-iran-mess
U.S. Options on the Strait of Hormuz
(Free Press) Aaron MacLean - As the Revolutionary Guards set out to enforce Iran's authority over the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. has four options: We could return to the mix of self-deception and bad-faith agreements with the Iranians in which we have indulged since the April ceasefire, but the paltry results of such a method are plain for all to see. We could surrender, and cease to contest Iran's control of the strait. This would have catastrophic consequences for the region and the world. We could launch a maximalist regime-change military campaign against Iran. Risks would abound and the administration gives no evidence of an appetite for this course. Or we could strike a middle course that addresses the core of this mess: the administration's refusal to accept that, barring the fall or fundamental change in character of the regime, the price would be protracted, costly maritime escort operations in and around the Strait of Hormuz, along with reimposing the American blockade on Iran. Such a move would be sustainable, if painful, for the U.S., but create conditions the Iranian economy cannot survive, ultimately forcing a better outcome for the U.S. But it will take time. Meanwhile, there will be waves of fighting in the strait itself, Iranian attacks elsewhere in the region, and the need for America to respond from time to time. The writer is a national security analyst at CBS News.