The Battle for Hormuz: Trump Shifts Into Dangerous New Phase in Iran War

President Trump’s new plan to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz by resuming strikes and reimposing the blockade is his third major shift in military strategy as he searches for a way to turn the tables on Iran in the nearly five-month-old war.

Trump has tried air and missile attacks, a naval quarantine and now the calibrated use of firepower to try to coerce Tehran to agree to his terms, in addition to diplomatic inducements.

But Iran has exploited its proximity to a major oil export route to defy Washington and joust for influence across the Middle East.

A stable peace appears elusive, some former officials say, as each side is calculating that it can win the long game in a test of wills that may haunt the rest of Trump’s presidency, including through the midterm elections in November.