Iran has no plans to soften its position in talks with the United States, making it too early to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, Iraqi energy expert Mamdouh Salameh said. "Talk of progress in the US-Iran negotiations is merely speculation circulating in the Western media," Salameh, an expert on global energy and the oil market, pointed out. Salameh emphasized that "these factors make a return to normal shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz unlikely at this point." He predicted the crisis could last "several months, even up to a year," affecting oil prices, energy security and the global economy. According to Salameh, the United States could once again resort to military action to restore shipping through the strait, but such a scenario would pose extremely dangerous risks for the entire region.