Exclusive-Iraq, Pakistan strike energy deals with Iran as Tehran flexes Hormuz control
Iraq and Pakistan's energy deals with Iran, amid Tehran's flexing of control over the Strait of Hormuz, signal rising geopolitical tensions and the potential for conflict over a critical global chokepoint.
Psalm 2:1-4
Direct Principle“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.' He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”
Why this passage
Psalm 2 is a royal psalm describing the rebellion of earthly rulers against Yahweh and His Messiah. The 'raging' of the nations is not mere noise but organized defiance—kings and rulers taking counsel together to assert their autonomy.
The psalm's plain sense depicts the futility of human power structures that oppose God's sovereign rule.
This principle applies directly to the article: Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan are rulers and nations taking counsel together to secure energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint. Their deals are acts of geopolitical defiance—against US sanctions, against global norms, and ultimately against the order God has established.
The 'raging' is the pride of nations that believe they can secure their own future through control of resources.
Behold, the nations rage and the kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord and His anointed. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage through which a fifth of the world's oil flows, becomes a stage for the pride of man and the flexing of earthly power.
Yet Scripture declares, 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision' (Psalm 2:4). Take heed, O reader: the posturing of nations over energy and trade is but a shadow of the coming storm, when the Prince of Peace shall break the nations with a rod of iron.
Today's Prayer
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the nations to turn from their prideful reliance on earthly power, seeking instead the Prince of Peace before the day of His wrath.
Further Scripture
Additional passages that illuminate this event, each grounded in a distinct interpretive lens.
“to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders will say to you, 'Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?'”
Why this passage
Ezekiel 38 describes a coalition of nations led by Gog of Magog that will attack Israel in the latter days, motivated by plunder and control of trade routes. The passage mentions 'Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish'—trading nations who question the invaders' motives.
The prophecy's original context is a future invasion of the restored land of Israel, but the pattern of nations leveraging strategic chokepoints for economic gain is a recurring biblical theme.
While this article does not describe an invasion of Israel, the Strait of Hormuz is a global trade chokepoint analogous to the ancient trade routes of Tarshish. Iran's flexing of control over this passage echoes the spirit of Gog—a nation using its geographic position to threaten the flow of goods and exert power over others.
The deals with Iraq and Pakistan are the 'taking counsel together' that precedes such conflict.
How it applies
Iran's demonstration of control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the energy deals with Iraq and Pakistan, mirror the pattern of nations assembling to secure economic advantage through strategic coercion. While not a direct fulfillment of Ezekiel 38, this event is a type of the latter-day coalition that will threaten global stability.
Believers should watch for how such alliances escalate toward the prophesied conflict involving Israel.
Related by Scripture
Other events we've interpreted through the same passage or hermeneutical lens.
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Source: al-monitor— we link to the original for full context.