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Source: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/how-isolate-tehran
How to Isolate Tehran
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Dennis Ross - The Iranians seem determined to remain in control of the Strait of Hormuz. They see it as giving them leverage over the global economy and forcing their Gulf neighbors and others to pay them off both economically and politically. So, what should Trump do? The best - or least bad - option would be to combine the U.S. blockade with forceful and sophisticated diplomacy. The blockade is slowly raising the war's costs to the Iranians and weakening their leverage. But on its own, it is not enough. Iran needs to see and feel isolated and discredited on Hormuz. It needs to see the Europeans and the Arabs offer a UN Security Council resolution that insists that the strait remain an international waterway, not controlled, monetized, or managed by any member state. Trump needs to work with the Saudis and the Emiratis to tell China that they expect Beijing to support such a resolution or not block one - which would be a shock to Tehran. The Islamic Republic's leaders see themselves as the heirs to a rich historical, national, and cultural legacy, and preventing isolation matters to them. Trump wants to end this war with Iran weaker and not in control of Hormuz. Diplomacy that is integrated with the use of force and tied to increasing economic pressure just might allow him to shape a deal. The writer, a former chief U.S. Middle East peace negotiator, is the counselor at the Washington Institute.