New Delhi: While diplomacy could have reduced tensions in the Persian Gulf, Iran has chosen the path of “maximalist posturing” to choke the Gulf of Hormuz, resulting in the disruption of supply chains which have caused fuel, fertiliser and food prices to soar, leading to immense economic hardship in the developing countries, according to an article in International Business Times.
During ceasefire discussions with the United States and other mediators, Iran reportedly attached multiple conditions that made meaningful progress nearly impossible.
“Instead of using diplomacy to calm already volatile markets, Tehran doubled down on confrontation. Even during recent discussions within the BRICS framework, where many developing nations were hoping for stability and economic cooperation, Iran continued projecting defiance rather than flexibility,” states the article authored by Shujaat Ali Quadri.
It also highlights that Iran is making a strategic miscalculation with its extreme posturing to hold the world economy to ransom. By continuously projecting unpredictability, Iran risks alienating even those countries that traditionally avoided taking sides against it.
“Nations in Asia and the Global South want stable energy supplies, not ideological standoffs in shipping lanes. They may sympathise with Iran’s grievances, but they cannot support actions that directly damage their own economies. A nation has every right to defend its sovereignty. But there is a difference between defending national interests and holding the world economy hostage,” the article observes.
The irony is that many developing countries that maintained balanced relations with Iran are now being punished by Tehran’s brinkmanship.
Iran’s repeated hints about imposing tolls on vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz are especially alarming. International maritime law does not permit any single country to arbitrarily weaponise one of the world’s most critical trade corridors.
Iran’s defenders often argue that Western sanctions and military pressure pushed Tehran into a corner. The answer to economic isolation cannot be economic blackmail, the article points out.
What is equally troubling is the mixed messaging from Iran itself. On one hand, Iranian officials speak of regional stability and cooperation. On the other, state-linked rhetoric repeatedly invokes the possibility of disruption in Hormuz whenever tensions escalate.
While the world does not expect Iran to surrender its national interests, it does expect Iran to act like a responsible stakeholder in the international system. Closing vital trade routes, threatening shipping access and leveraging global energy dependence as a political tool is not resistance. It is recklessness, the article added.
(IANS)
