For Tehran, the Strait of Hormuz is worth an atomic bomb

As a brief naval confrontation between American and Iranian forces unfolded in the Strait of Hormuz, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, declared on Friday that this maritime passage, through which 20% of the world's crude oil transits, represented 'an opportunity as valuable as an atomic bomb'.

'We have neglected for years the advantage that the Strait of Hormuz represents. Having a position that allows us to influence the global economy with a single decision is a major opportunity,' said Mohammad Mokhber, who is considered close to the hardline faction of the clerical regime.

This statement raises questions about Iran's true strategy, as every declaration is scrutinized in light of suspicions—whether founded or not—of divisions within the ruling elite in Tehran. This rift becomes apparent whenever the moderate positions of the Iranian regime's 'doves' are contradicted by inflammatory statements from Revolutionary Guards officials.

In the contested strait, from Thursday night to Friday, American forces claimed to have 'retaliated' after three of their guided-missile destroyers came under attack from 'missiles, drones and small boats' while transiting through Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman.

Tehran denounced 'a blatant violation of international law and the ceasefire,' while an Iranian official reported ten sailors wounded and five missing following an American attack on an Iranian cargo ship.

The attack on American ships was dismissed as a 'minor incident' by U.S. President Donald Trump, who judged that it did not undermine the maintenance of the ceasefire.

However, clashes continued on Friday, further threatening the truce, as Washington still awaits a response from Tehran to its latest proposal aimed at sustainably ending hostilities.

As usual, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, indicated that Iran was 'still studying the proposal,' projecting a stance of firmness or apparent composure, even as the country has suffered significant destruction and its economy is drained.

Lebanese-Israeli Negotiations in Washington

In Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun received diplomat Simon Karam and 'gave him his directives' before his departure for Washington, where a meeting with the Israeli delegation is scheduled for May 14, according to a statement from the presidency.

The Lebanese ambassador to Washington, the deputy chargé d'affaires, and 'a military official' will be part of the delegation, the same source clarified.

'Lebanon expects three essential objectives from these negotiations: to consolidate the ceasefire, to secure Israel's withdrawal (...) and to extend the state's full sovereignty over national territory,' said Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.

The first meeting between the two countries, which do not maintain diplomatic relations, took place on April 14 in Washington. It was the first such encounter since 1993.

Following the second meeting held at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire that has been in effect since April 17 between the two countries.

In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the war on March 2 in support of its Iranian ally, claimed on Friday two attacks against military bases in northern Israel, in response to Israeli strikes carried out in Lebanon that killed ten people that same day.

Hezbollah had previously stated it launched missiles against a military base near the city of Nahariya, in retaliation for Israeli strikes.

Israeli bombardments killed ten people on Friday, including two children and three women, in four localities in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Civil Defense also announced earlier the death of one of its rescue workers, killed in a strike.