Despite the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement, the Persian Gulf has seen on-again, off-again fighting as both sides try to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran insists that all traffic must receive its OK and has attacked ships attempting to cross the narrow waterway outside its approved route along the Iranian coast.
The U.S. has retaliated by bombing Iranian sites used for drone and missile strikes while defending ships following an alternate route that hugs the Omani coast.
Top U.S. officials have demanded that Tehran make a public statement saying the strait is open and ships won’t be attacked. But the ability to close it off—and threaten the global economy with an oil shock—represents Iran’s main source of leverage.
Weeks of U.S. bombardment during the war failed to fully reopen the strait, though the Navy established the alternate channel by guiding ships through and offering protection from Iranian attacks.
