In my column last week I argued that a reimposition of the American blockade of Iranian ports was the best path forward in our war against Iran. On Monday, U.S. forces did just that. What I did not argue for—but which was also announced on Monday—was a 20 percent toll on all traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. (You win some, you lose some.)
So what comes next? The reimposed blockade, if combined with enhanced efforts to protect non-Iranian traffic through the strait, will begin to heal some of the damage done to America’s strategic position in the region since April 7. That was when the president, in his eagerness to end the hostilities, announced a ceasefire with Iran in return for Iran opening the strait. But the Iranians, of course, did not open the strait—and between then and now, there has been a lot of to-and-fro over this question without much resolution.
Why did the president proceed with the ceasefire in the first place? Reports increasingly indicate that the war was predicated on a regime-change plan, driven by Israel, that failed.
