Iran seeking to turn military conflict with US into economic one — expert

NEW YORK, July 13. /TASS/. Given the lack of military parity in the war with the US and Israel, Iran is attempting to shift the military conflict into an economic one, maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz, Mehran Kamrava, professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, told CNN.

"Iran is keenly aware of the fact that it cannot match the United States and Israel militarily. So, it is trying to turn the conflict from a military one into an economic one," the expert said. He added that Iran is determined to keep the Strait of Hormuz as a source of leverage and it has "in some ways succeeded in doing so."

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Among other Iranian officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed as a result of airstrikes. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding envisioning an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, including in Lebanon. Later, talks were held at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock with Qatar and Pakistan acting as mediators in the implementation of the memorandum of understanding. According to a joint statement issued by Pakistan and Qatar following the conclusion of the first round of talks, the meeting between Iranian and US representatives took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere, encouraging progress was made, and a basis for further technical consultations was laid.

However, overnight into July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating their previous agreements, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz.