Iran expert Roni Kahanovitz, a researcher at the Institute for Policy and Strategy, said in an interview on Wednesday with Sara Beck that Donald Trump is trying to portray the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as an achievement, but that the real winner is Iran. He said there was never a full naval blockade, yet the American focus on the strait itself gives Tehran a major pressure tool against the United States, Israel and the wider region.
Kahanovitz called the strait a major economic artery and noted that about 20% of the world’s oil passes through it, especially toward Asia. In his view, Trump is framing the reopening as a success partly because of domestic political and economic pressure, while Iran has turned Hormuz into an international bargaining chip. He added that senior Iranian officials, including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, are already describing Iran as a leading force in the region. "Iran comes out stronger from this campaign," he said, adding that Tehran sees itself as a kind of hegemon in the Middle East, especially the Gulf.
He warned that Iran’s gains would not remain only diplomatic or economic. According to Kahanovitz, Tehran will continue trying to pressure Israel through its direct borders, Gaza and Lebanon, while maintaining ideological and financial support for Hamas and Hezbollah.
Kahanovitz also questioned whether any funds released under understandings would go to civilian reconstruction. He said a substantial share could be diverted to strategic programs such as rebuilding the nuclear program, missiles, ballistic capabilities and space-related knowhow, as well as other systems serving the Revolutionary Guards. He ended by saying reopening shipping in Hormuz is especially difficult because the strait is very narrow, only about 55 to 33 kilometers wide, and the main tanker routes run close to the Iranian coast. If Iran lays naval mines there, clearing them could take a long time and require help from additional naval forces, because "these mines can definitely cause very serious damage to a large part of the oil tankers there."
