Hormuz, November's clock.

The cover story

Hormuz, a war set to November's clock

Last week, the Saudi backup route had become a target. This week, the war changed pace more than place. On 25 September, Iran offered, through Qatar, to reopen Hormuz within seven days in exchange for lifting the US blockade; the next day, Donald Trump rejected the offer. According to the Wall Street Journal, he sees a renewed bombing campaign as likely after the 3 November midterm elections, and a third aircraft carrier is heading to the region.1516413

This waiting has a cost, which Washington seeks to share with Europeans by asking them to release diesel. It also has a weak point: within four days, three incidents, at Fairford, in Medina and on a flydubai flight, were linked to Iran or its allies without any investigation establishing it. This dossier separates what is established, what is asserted and what remains unknown.221017232114