haxxiy said:
It's not their navy physically blocking anything, it's the threat from drones/missiles from Iran. That being said, as incompetent as Trump is, I also have doubts about the ability of Iran to conduct a long war of attrition. 70% of their imports come from the Hormuz Strait, most of which is food. Not to mention it's also contingent on the US playing "nice" instead of crazy in the meantime (so no strikes on Kharg Island, the overworked Iranian power plants, etc.). |
Iran's food exports have gone down, keeping it for themselves I guess with the Hormuz Straight closed.
Prices jump in Turkmenistan as war dries up imports from Iran
Retailers and consumers in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, say prices for key goods imported from nearby Iran have jumped sharply as normally lively cross-border trade is disrupted by the war.
Iran is a major supplier of core consumer goods to Turkmenistan, a mostly desert country of seven million people whose economy relies on natural gas exports, primarily to China. Iranian imports range from fruit and vegetables to construction materials and cigarettes.
“Stocks are rapidly depleting, and new shipments are not arriving. The outlook is paralysed and uncertain. We are currently selling Iranian goods at a higher price, 50 to 70 percent higher,” Aman, a construction materials dealer in Ashgabat, told the Reuters news agency.
Prices for key staples imported from Iran – including potatoes, cucumbers and fruit – have doubled at Ashgabat bazaars.
Iran is the size of Western Europe, they can fight a long war of attrition. They have been living under sanctions for decades, their economy is fully adjusted to blockades etc. US isn't playing nice anyway, just bombed a bank killing all the employees which is why Iran has now abandoned the tit for tat response and dialed up the rocket fire.
So the US just made banks 'legitimate' targets in the ME. Gulf countries will sure be happy about that.
No when it comes to holding out, the US will blink long before Iran. Trump is already flaking, practically begging for a ceasefire by claiming he won, daily.
Update:
Gulf banks close branches temporarily amid escalating tensions
There is a wave of announcements coming from financial institutions across the Gulf saying that they’re closing their branches temporarily, at least till the end of this week, to ensure the safety of their employees.
This comes after one of the public financial institutions of Iran got hit in a US or Israeli attack, and Iran has responded saying they now have free rein to target financial or economic institutions associated with the US or Israel.
Among the banks, HSBC in Doha announced they’re suspending operations and in the UAE, Citibank and Standard Chartered announced the closure of their offices.
But it’s not just banks. We’ve also learned that big consulting and auditing firms, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Deloitte, are going to suspend operations. PwC specifically said that it’s closing its operations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
So Iran appears to be expanding the avenues where it can pressure the countries in the Gulf to increase exposure of this conflict and apply pressure on the US.
