The Hormuz Standoff: Iran Claims Blockade of Strategic Strait Over Heavy Lebanon Airstrikes While U.S. Vice President Denies Evidence of Closure
The newly minted Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was supposed to bring a much-needed breath of stability to global energy markets. Signed digitally by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the 14-point framework aimed to end months of bitter regional warfare, open a 60-day track for nuclear and sanctions-relief negotiations, and safely restore international shipping traffic through the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint. Instead, the deal has hit a wall of rapid, escalatory brinkmanship.

















































