The New York Times: Under pressure from war and the economy, Iran turns to a tougher stance

According to The New York Times, the Iranian government is responding to growing economic threats with an increasingly tough stance and has signaled a willingness to escalate the conflict with the United States. Analysts told The New York Times that Iran is concerned its control over the Strait of Hormuz is weakening, and the prolonged war has further worsened Iran's long-standing economic crisis.

A New York Times report on September 9 noted that the loosening of Iran's influence over the Strait of Hormuz is weakening a key card in Tehran's hand. As an important channel for global oil transportation, any shift in control of the strait carries significance beyond the region.

The report also turned its gaze to ordinary Iranians bearing the cost of the war. The New York Times wrote that the long-standing economic crisis has been pushed to deeper depths in the wartime environment. In Tehran and other Iranian cities, rising prices, supply shortages, and livelihood difficulties constitute the true face of this conflict at the grassroots level.

In this round of US-led pressure, the space Iran has to respond has been compressed into extremely limited remaining leverage. Those bearing the cost have never been the decision-makers themselves, but ordinary Iranian families who lack policy influence.