Scoop News reporting summary

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It has also led to the deaths of 18 service members, with 624 wounded, as of late July. The war, Kimball said, has further delayed the return of international inspectors to search for enriched uranium and centrifuges, and it has "severely damaged what little trust may have existed in Iran regarding any future agreement." In addition, the U.S. failure to derail Iran's nuclear ambitions could weaken its leverage with other nations who might see nuclear weapons as a national security asset. "Once again we are reminded of why states want the bomb," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org. "And the list (of states) is growing longer." The biggest economic and geopolitical concern to emerge from the war is Iran's newfound ability to control the commercial traffic that transits the Strait of Hormuz, including petroleum and other key products like fertilizer, aluminum and other industrial commodities.