“A Useful Pretext”

The Washington Times sees Tehran's desperate bid to close the Straits of Hormuz if sanctions intensify as an opportunity:

Iran would be branded an international aggressor state and be subject to a variety of tougher sanctions and military actions. A theaterwide response to the strait closure would involve airstrikes on military and leadership targets throughout the country, and the crisis could be a useful pretext for international action against Iran’s nuclear program. The precedent was established with Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, after which the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 687, which, among other things, established a mechanism for robust enforcement of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and led to the dismantling of Saddam Hussein’s original nuclear program. If the Islamic Republic wants to commit suicide, then by all means, close the Strait of Hormuz right away.