Mohammad Marandi, a professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, shares his views on the latest developments in the Middle East as a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect at midnight local time on April 17. Marandi explains the role of the Strait of Hormuz in talks between Iran and the US as well as the intervention by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron over the critical shipping lane for the global economy.