Iran Holds Strategic ‘Trump Card’ in Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Expert

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By TRH World Desk

Former British Army chief Lord Richard Dannatt says Iran holds a powerful “trump card” through the Strait of Hormuz and warns that Donald Trump may be realising Tehran is in a stronger strategic position than expected.

New Delhi, May 29, 2026 — Former head of the British Army, Richard Dannatt, has warned that Iran remains in a strategically strong position in the escalating Middle East crisis because of its ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Lord Dannatt described US President Donald Trump as “extremely unpredictable” and said it was difficult to determine how Washington would respond to the rapidly evolving tensions involving Iran.

“We all know that Donald Trump is an extremely unpredictable individual,” Dannatt said, adding: “So what he will make of this, I think it’s very hard for us to work out.”

However, the former British Army chief said any movement toward negotiations between the parties would be a positive development for regional stability and the global economy.

“If there is the beginnings of an agreement, at least an agreement to get around the table and have substantive talks, that’s encouraging,” he said. “It’s encouraging for the wider Middle East. It’s encouraging for the Western economy, and probably also encouraging for the bulk of the Iranian people.”

Dannatt’s comments came amid heightened tensions following the latest US military strikes linked to the Iran conflict and growing fears that Tehran could disrupt maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a route through which a significant share of the world’s oil supplies passes.

When asked whether Trump ordered the latest strikes out of frustration over Iran’s continued leverage in the Strait of Hormuz, Dannatt suggested that the assessment was likely correct.

“I think that’s probably right,” he said, adding that the situation surrounding the strategic waterway had become deeply concerning for the West.

“It beggars belief really that the Americans, or at least Donald Trump, didn’t understand that Iran was always holding what I’ll call a trump card, a key card in this whole conflict,” Dannatt remarked.

He argued that Iran’s capacity to threaten closure of the Strait of Hormuz gives Tehran considerable strategic leverage over Western economies heavily dependent on stable energy supplies.

“Being able effectively to stand on the neck of the West by closing the straits,” he said, underlines the extent of Iran’s geopolitical advantage in the crisis.

Dannatt further suggested that Washington may now be recognising that Iran’s position is stronger than previously assumed.

“If he did launch those attacks yesterday to put more pressure on, it may be at long last he’s realizing that the Iranians are in really quite a strong position and he is not in the strong position that he would have wished to find himself,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime passages, linking the Persian Gulf with global energy markets. Any disruption to shipping through the corridor could send oil prices sharply higher and intensify economic uncertainty across global markets.