The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is a heavy blow to the deteriorating maritime order

Issue Brief

July 31, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

Elisabeth Braw

Bottom lines up front

Unfettered freedom of navigation could be a casualty of the Iran war—along with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), of which it is a hard-fought part.Iran’s argument for its closure of the Strait of Hormuz is strengthened by the fact that the United States, China, and Russia have also violated or undermined the convention. Like Iran, the United States has not ratified UNCLOS.Shipping industry experts now fear tolls or additional limits on free passage at other critical shipping lanes.