The Strait of Hormuz Accord Collapsed in Two Weeks—Now Iran and the US Are Weaponizing the Waterway

In June, the White House credited a bilateral memorandum with Iran for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. By July 13, that framework lay in ruins. Iran declared the strait closed on July 7 after three merchant ships were attacked. The US launched retaliatory strikes on July 8. Now both sides deploy competing claims: Trump says Hormuz remains open; Iran's Strait Authority says transit is impossible. Independent verification through shipping data and insurance markets may lag days behind rhetoric.