Commentary: Hormuz is no longer one front in US-Iran war - it is becoming a test

Commentary

The strategic waterway is becoming the clearest test of whether any state can use force to rewrite the rules governing freedom of navigation, says defence professor and navy veteran Jennifer Parker.

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, Jun 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)

18 Jul 2026 06:00AM

CANBERRA: United States President Donald Trump’s proposal to charge a 20 per cent fee on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz under US protection was quickly walked back within a day. But it revealed how much the war is shifting. More than 130 days into the conflict, what started as an effort to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions is, at its core, becoming a fight over freedom of navigation. Iran’s continued attacks on commercial shipping, despite the economic incentives contained in the June memorandum of understanding (MOU), show that Tehran is serious about using control of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage.The US must adapt its strategy in response, but the threat to charge a toll was fundamentally in the wrong direction.