New Delhi, March 29 -- Earlier this week, Iran rejected a 15-point ceasefire proposal presented by the US and instead laid out five conditions to end the war, which was started by the US and Israel in late February. The official noted that these five conditions are in addition to the demands Tehran was making during negotiations with Washington, days before it was hit by a wave of missiles.

One of those conditions was the recognition of Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, a condition that Tehran had never made before. According to a CNN report, the narrow waterway, which is responsible for transporting roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), has now emerged as a potent weapon of the Islamic Republic....