Air war in Iran gives way to crippling stalemate in Hormuz

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The conflict with Iran has entered a damaging new phase—a crippling limbo between war and peace that leaves the Strait of Hormuz closed and the prospect of escalation looming.The missiles and bombs that the U.S. and Israel rained down on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory salvos might have stopped with President Trump’s indefinite extension of a cease-fire.

But the battle for control of the strait, one of the most important conduits of global commerce, is raging, leaving commodity traders on edge and helping push international oil prices above $100 a barrel on Wednesday.Iranian forces attacked three cargo ships on Wednesday, said people familiar with the fighting. Meanwhile, the U.S.

Navy sought to keep Iran from exporting oil—the country’s main revenue source—or receiving supplies. Arab mediators working to restart talks between the two sides said they feared the situation would deteriorate.Iran’s negotiating team has toughened its tone since deciding at the last minute to skip talks this week in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, vowing not to return to the table until the blockade is lifted, mediators said.

“Diplomacy is a tool for securing national interests and security,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Wednesday.“This cease-fire is inherently unstable,” said Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran project at International Crisis Group. “At sea, neither Washington nor Tehran is de-escalating so much as testing the limits of coercion.