The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has effectively deprived Iran of the opportunity to export oil and has increased the risk of an economic crisis in the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Iran has managed to create a crisis of confidence in the market. But destabilization is not control. Under the US blockade, Iran will face retribution, said David Des Roches, a former senior US Defense Department official.

The US Navy has blocked deliveries from all Iranian ports, stopping the operation of a network of "shadow" tankers that previously allowed it to bypass sanctions and deliver oil to China. No ship with Iranian oil has been able to break through the blockade.

Alternative routes have been limited. Only about 40 percent of trade can be redirected to land. Against this background, political divisions in Iran have deepened, and some of the elites are in favor of negotiations.

In Tehran, the blockade is increasingly seen not as a substitute for war, but as another manifestation of it. As a result, Iranian decision-makers may soon come to the conclusion that resuming the conflict will be cheaper than continuing a long-term blockade, believes political scientist Hamidreza Azizi.