Exactly. All of that is going on in parallel. The point is that over time, if the regime is still in place, their ability to threaten traffic in the Strait will become less and less important internationally.
You could also point out that China wasn’t the only but the primary purchaser of illicit Iranian oil when we had sanction on (can anyone remember how long it’s been since we haven’t had sanctions on Iranian oil sales?) and were therefore buying it WAY below market price. When and if Iranian oil opens back up to China it will be purchased on the open market and China will have to pay market prices on it.
This isn’t about Iran. Iran is just part of it. This is about America.
And China..eh?