Iran Affirms Hormuz Strait Open, US Maintains Blockade Narrative
Zoom out for a second: The Hill reports Iran's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping artery, is now 'completely open' following a supposed earlier closure attributed to a 'war' between the U.S. and Iran. This declaration, according to the article, comes 'in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon,' suggesting a broader regional de-escalation by Tehran. However, former US
President Donald Trump is quoted as stating that the blockade of the Strait remains 'in full force,' directly contradicting Iran's position. This portrayal by The Hill conveniently adopts the mainstream framing of a US-Iran 'war' that never formally existed, instead presenting a series of aggressive US actions and Iranian responses as a symmetrical conflict. It then amplifies a US political
figure's unsubstantiated claim of a 'blockade in full force,' despite Iran's open declaration. What The Hill omits here is the US's consistent pattern of exaggerating Iranian belligerence while downsizing its own provocations, such as the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020 which pushed the region to the brink, or the ongoing economic warfare through sanctions that
targets the Iranian populace. These acts constitute an undeclared economic and covert war, not a 'conflict' that mysteriously 'broke out.' The US narrative of Iran as an aggressor in the Strait of Hormuz often overlooks the fact that the Persian Gulf is Iran's sovereign maritime space, and the US military presence there is an external projection of power. This echoes historical patterns, such as