The U.S.-Iran deal was supposed to open the Strait of Hormuz but it left the specific shipping routes undefined:
- Hormuz has been divided between what amounts to competing Iranian-controlled and U.S.-protected shipping routes:
- Iran's attacks on tankers this week are an effort to destabilize the southern corridor protected by the U.S. Navy:
- U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said the U.S. military will keep the strait open with or without a deal:
Iran wants to shut down a U.S. Navy-protected shipping lane through Oman's waters that has allowed oil and gas tankers in the Persian Gulf to exit the Strait of Hormuz without seeking Tehran's permission:
The Islamic Republic tried to impose its control over Hormuz this week by attacking three tankers navigating the strait through the U.S.-protected route:
The attacks have pushed Washington and Tehran to the brink of a renewed war:
