JULY 14, 2026
U.S. Resumes Iran Naval Blockade as Strikes Escalate and Strait of Hormuz Remains Contested
The United States military resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday and launched a third consecutive night of strikes on Iranian targets, including the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Chabahar, and several Persian Gulf islands. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck two UAE tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member, and conducted missile and drone attacks on U.S. military infrastructure in Bahrain and Jordan. President Trump announced the U.S. would serve as "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz and proposed charging commercial shippers a 20% fee on cargo value for safe passage.
The ceasefire signed in June between the United States and Iran, formalized in a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding, effectively collapsed over the weekend after Iran attacked a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. The U.S. retaliated with strikes, and a cycle of exchange has continued since. Trump notified Congress that military action had resumed, framing the notification as resetting the 60-day clock under the War Powers Resolution — a reading disputed by critics including former Rep. Justin Amash, who said the resolution does not permit treating a paused conflict as a new one.
The dispute over who controls the Strait of Hormuz has become the central point of contention. U.S. Central Command and President Trump insist the waterway is open to all vessels, while Iranian authorities say passage is "not possible" given current military conditions. NPR reported that analysts attribute part of the confusion to the ambiguous wording of Paragraph 5 of the MOU, which said Iran would make arrangements using "best efforts for safe passage" — language that Iran's Parliament speaker highlighted as placing responsibility for the strait in Iran's hands. Iran's oil minister said exports would "continue as usual" despite reimposed U.S. sanctions, pointing to a shadow fleet infrastructure maintained throughout the ceasefire.
Trump's proposed 20% cargo fee drew immediate criticism from multiple directions. Former national security official Brett McGurk, cited by the Washington Examiner, said the announcement "forfeits a lot of legitimacy" because Gulf states had unanimously rejected Iran's own tolling proposals. The International Maritime Organization stated that passage through the strait "should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on social media, agreeing that safe passage should be compensated, but asserting that Iran — not the United States — is the permanent guardian of the strait. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously described the toll concept as "unworkable" and "not doable." Oil markets responded sharply: Brent crude rose as high as 4.8% to $87 a barrel, its highest since mid-June.