Strait of Hormuz 'faultline' exposes weakness of the US-Iran deal
Image: BBC News
The fragile "no war, no peace" arrangement that followed a tentative US-Iran deal last month now appears to have tipped toward open conflict, with the Strait of Hormuz at its centre.
The on-again, off-again truce could yet wobble back to life through the efforts of frustrated Arab and Pakistani mediators, and both sides' preference to avoid an all-out war.
But its biggest fault line is the status of the strategic strait - and Iran is making clear that its control over the maritime corridor is a red line that military, economic or diplomatic pressure cannot break.
"We told you: keep your word or pay the price," Iran's lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media, quoting the agreement.
Tehran draws backing for that stance from the vague wording of the memorandum of understanding drafted hastily in June, which the two sides have interpreted differently from the start.
As long as the strait remains contested, the risk of a wider escalation that disrupts global energy flows will stay high.