Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Alastair Crooke: Iran Sets Conditions for Access to the Strait of Hormuz
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Mar 20, 2026 
Alastair Crooke, former British diplomat and founder of Conflicts Forum, offers sharp analysis of Iran's conditional access to the Strait of Hormuz. He outlines phased retaliation, IRGC-controlled shipping channels, dollar-exclusion rules, and coordinated regional proxy tactics. He also examines how choke-point strategy, maritime leverage, and calibrated escalation reshape Gulf geopolitics.
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Attack On South Pars Turned A Short War Into Long Conflict
- The Israel attack on Iran's South Pars gas infrastructure massively escalated the conflict and undermined Western expectations of a short campaign.
- Alastair Crooke explains the strike damaged Iran's electricity and gas supply and could remove energy from markets for years, forcing longer Iranian retaliation.
Kushner Call And Trump's Truth Social Denial
- Crooke recounts a reported White House exchange where Jared Kushner alerted Trump about Qatari anger, prompting Trump's public denial via Truth Social.
- He uses this to illustrate chaotic messaging and misattribution of the South Pars strike between the US, Israel, and Qatar interests.
Avoid Planning Wars Around Best Case Collapse Scenarios
- Do not assume short campaigns when logistics and intelligence are based on optimistic collapse scenarios.
- Crooke warns Western planning was for a brief bombing phase and lacked the logistics for extended operations.