The confusion with regard to the Strait of Hormuz has only deepened with both Iran and the US claiming that they have blockaded the strait, and this confusion over the critical chokepoint in the Persian Gulf threatens to exacerbate the ongoing energy crisis.
Iran has termed the US naval blockade on Iranian ports a violation of the ceasefire as well as an “unlawful and criminal” act. “The United States’ so-called ‘blockade’ of Iran’s ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, in a post on X. The Iranian official seems to have made this statement hours after Tehran’s decision to close the strait once again.
Ironically, US President Donald Trump has made a sardonic comment in response to Iran’s decision with regard to the strait. According to him, it is “strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it”, adding that “They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the US, Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be ‘the tough guy!’”
Be that as it may, such statements clearly constitute a war of attrition between the US and Iran rather than a series of serious efforts aimed at achieving mutual trust in order to resume talks for a peace agreement. Both the countries are required to loosen up their hardened positions, allowing for compromise and flexibility.
Sajid Rizvi (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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