There is little sign of imminent regime change in Iran as its blockade of strait of Hormuz shocks global economy
Few doubt that in the first days of the new war in the Middle East, the initiative belonged to the US and its ally Israel. Now it seems less sure, however.
Mohsen Rezaee, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, on Sunday said “the end of the war is in our hands” and called for the withdrawal of Washington’s forces from the Gulf and compensation for all damage caused by the assault.
Three weeks ago, it appeared unlikely that Tehran’s senior officials would ever sound quite so confident.
The conflict began with a surprise strike by Israel that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US and Israeli warplanes then swiftly proved they could operate with impunity over Iran, drawing on deep reserves of intelligence to strike at thousands of targets. The only significant losses were inflicted by friendly fire.
