The WSJ called the Strait of Hormuz a key factor in winning the war in Iran.

Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz is becoming a key factor in the outcome of the conflict with the United States and its allies and determines the balance of power in the global energy market. This was announced on April 2 by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

"For the Iranians, the Strait of Hormuz is now more important than the nuclear program <...> Now the only reason they are surviving this war is the strait. The Iranians believe that in the end the strait should remain under their control, because it is their only deterrent and their only source of income," Vali Nasr, a former senior State Department official who participated in informal talks with Iranian representatives, told the newspaper.

Previously, about a fifth of the world's oil exports passed through the strait, but after the outbreak of hostilities, shipping declined sharply, and passing ships were forced to travel through Iranian waters and pay fees. Tehran is already promoting legislation providing for transit fees and access restrictions for "unfriendly" countries, which could increase pressure on Europe and Asia, the WSJ writes.

It is noted that the United States is considering both military and political scenarios for unblocking the route, but the operation is fraught with high risks. At the same time, European countries are opposed to the use of force.

According to Hassan Alhasan, a former employee of Bahrain's national security service, the end of the war in the near future, while Iran still controls the most important waterway, will be a geopolitical catastrophe for US allies and partners in the Middle East and beyond.

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The Ansar Allah movement stated that the strategic strait would become their goal if Arab countries helped Washington.

The representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Abolfazl Shekarchi, said yesterday that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would be closed "for a long time" for the United States and Israel. He did not specify the specific terms of the restrictions.

On April 2, Bloomberg reported on the tanker, which entered the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, for the first time since the beginning of the actions of the United States and Israel in the Middle East. A ship carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) entered the waters and began moving towards the export terminal in Oman.

Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov noted at the same time that the Strait of Hormuz was open to Russia. On the same day, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharib-Abadi announced that the new access regime for the Strait of Hormuz would include rules for the passage of military and commercial vessels.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.