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Report from Tehran: "Hormuz Is Not a Tool to End the War But How Iran Wins the Aftermath"

2026-04-07 News & Politics
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Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt We speak with two Iranian scholars ahead of an 8 p.m. ET deadline set by President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction of all its power plants, bridges and other civilian infrastructure. Twelve hours ahead of the deadline, the president posted on social media, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” Iran has blocked most maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war, leading to a sharp increase in oil and gas prices around the world. Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow at the University of Tehran, and Zeynab Malakouti, a senior fellow at the Global Peace Institute at the National University of Singapore, say Iran is likely to maintain long-term control over the strait even after the fighting stops. “While Donald Trump and the U.S. Army and the Israeli army are focused on the battle, Iranians are thinking about the war,” says Eslami, adding that Iran has prepared for “at least three months of war,” while rising oil prices will make it increasingly difficult for the U.S. to sustain the fighting. “Iran sees the Strait of Hormuz as a longer-term strategic lever, especially for the postwar period,” adds Malakouti, speaking from Shanghai. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Top Comments (10)

@helenduwors1044 2026-04-07

If any military personnel obeys these commands, they become criminals.

211 30 replies
@markymark4027 2026-04-07

Iran is playing chess, Trump and Hegseth are playing Call of Duty.

197 41 replies
@achekholbeck88 2026-04-07

What happens to United Nations?

48 10 replies
@omavic9560 2026-04-07

Mother’s Day was originally started by mother’s, who were rallying for For Peace. They did not want their sons killed nor their sons to kill others. This Mother’s Day we should rally For Peace in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, and around the world.. maybe a ‘ Mothers and their families peace rally’

29 1 replies
@lauriegaynor8965 2026-04-07

War crimes need to be prosecuted.

27 4 replies
@Nato-g5m 2026-04-07

I think Iran has some tricks up their sleeve, but they are waiting until last possible minute to deploy, because they know when and if they do, its' game over!!!!

21 4 replies
@chilli_bean_23 2026-04-07

Imagine your legacy is “the destruction of a whole civilisation”… Imagine how depraved and barren your heart and soul must be to even consider doing such a thing.

21 3 replies
@waitagreenminute4447 2026-04-07

A key colonization practice is to destroy people's heritage, foremost. The Eraser Effect!

15 1 replies
@jaq1003 2026-04-07

If US took over the Strait they would find a reason to charge for passage , it's just in their nature to capitalize on everything.

13
@emmach8512 2026-04-07

Take Your Stand Now — Before the Bombs Fall The American people face a defining moment. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now — you must decide where you stand. While politicians debate and pundits speculate, the people of Iran have already made their choice. In the face of an imminent threat, they have poured into the streets, onto every bridge, every railway, every power line corridor. They have locked arms in human chains — not to flee, but to resist. To defend their sovereignty. To say to the world: We will not be terrorized into silence. This is not about distant geopolitics. This is about humanity drawing a line against reckless destruction. The same "Trump gang" that once tore up treaties and threatened nations is now circling Iran again, sharpening plans to bomb its infrastructure — its water, its electricity, its lifelines. They count on apathy. They count on you looking away. Don't. Oppose them before it's too late. Oppose them with your voice, your vote, your presence in the streets. Because if Iran's bridges fall under American bombs, the shame will belong to all of us who said nothing. The clock is ticking. The bombs are being loaded. And the only force that can stop this madness is a people who refuse to let it happen. Where do you stand? Stand now. Stand with Iran's resistance. Stand against the war machine.

6

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