Joshua Tallis, Now Director of the Center for Naval Analyses' Ally and Partner Security Affairs Program, Told Newsweek That Tehran's Ability

Iran's leverage over the Strait of Hormuz has proven more potent than a nuclear weapon, according to a former U.S. Navy official. Joshua Tallis, now director of the Center for Naval Analyses' Ally and Partner Security Affairs program, told Newsweek that Tehran's ability to impose economic pain on the global economy is "in some ways, a more powerful weapon than a nuclear bomb. Six months into the U.S.-Israel war, Iran's threats to close the strait have become reality, disrupting global energy trade and frustrating American consumers.

Tallis noted that Iranian strikes on commercial shipping create a cascade effect throughout the global trading system, yielding substantial strategic gains at minimal reputational cost. The tactic has complicated U.S. diplomatic efforts, with Iran engaging Oman on a proposed "voluntary fee system for strait security, similar to arrangements in the Strait of Malacca.