Former President Traian Băsescu said that the United States has not yet achieved its initial objectives in the Middle East: regime change in Tehran and the destruction of enriched uranium from the Iranian nuclear program.
“Instead, fundamental new objectives have emerged. One is the safe and full reopening of traffic on Hormuz,” Băsescu explained on Friday, on B1 TV, noting that the safe reopening of traffic on the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most difficult challenges.
“The United States will never be able to say they won the war with Iran as long as Iran controls the traffic through Hormuz. I think they have underestimated the tremendous difficulty that Hormuz presents.” the former president emphasized.
He added that another unrealized goal is “regaining the trust of allies” from the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates or Oman, whose refineries and terminals have been hit by Iranian attacks, despite the security guarantees offered by Washington.
“The United States guaranteed the security of the Gulf countries, they guaranteed the security of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, all the oil supplying countries, which are and were, in their time, the countries that generated the petrodollars (…). They are the countries that imposed the dollar as a means of payment for hydrocarbons and remained loyal allies of the United States, and at the same time the United States guaranteed their security. Well, here are the refineries, terminals, objectives of these countries have been hit hard,” Basescu added.
Asked about the US offensive to secure the Strait, Băsescu warned that it is “extremely difficult”, explaining that the northern part of the strait is controlled by Iran, which makes protecting maritime traffic a complex task.
“To secure traffic through the Strait of Hormuz you have to destroy all the strikes that Iran has on its side of the strait, so it’s going to be a tough operation,” the former president also stated.
Băsescu also specified that, although the Strait is not mined, Iran maintains control over the area and allows the passage of ships only under certain conditions, reinforcing the difficulty of a military security operation.
According to Traian Băsescu, the current situation shows that the US is in a delicate position in the Middle East, and the initial strategic objectives have not been achieved, while the new challenges – such as Hormuz – involve major risks and significant operational complexity.
