US diplomat and Former United States Ambassador to Cape Verde, Donald Heflin, said Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key strategic leverage point in the ongoing tensions, impacting global energy supply and shaping the course of diplomatic negotiations.

Speaking to ANI on Monday, Heflin said, "Iran has been trying for years to develop weapons-grade materials, and the outside world has tried to stop them... One thing that Iran has discovered in the last month or two is they don't really need nuclear weapons as a deterrent force to keep someone from attacking it or attempting to change the regime. Their control of the Straits of Hormuz is their superweapon."