War of Whimsy: Trump drives his Blunder Bus into the Gulf of Hormuz

 

AI-generated image:  Manus 1.6 Lite

Headline:  New York Times, 6/30/2026

Vivian Nereim, Farnaz Fassihi, and Erika Solomon report:

Iran and U.S.-allied Oman are moving forward with plans to collect payment for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, despite public American objections, according to an Iranian official and four diplomats with knowledge of the matter. 

If enacted, the plans would be a significant change from the prewar status in the strategic waterway, underscoring how the American-Israeli decision to attack Iran on Feb. 28 has changed the Middle East in far-reaching and unanticipated ways.  

Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz was an international shipping route between Iran and Oman that vessels sailed through free, carrying oil and gas from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. During the fighting, Iran effectively blockaded the waterway, an important choke point for global trade, sending energy prices skyrocketing.  [emphasis added]

Other Blunder Bus posts:

June 2026

E. Jean Carroll.  (6/30)

American 250, part 2.  (6/30)

America 250.  (6/27)

Lackland AFB flu outbreak,  (6/27)

Kennedy Center.  (6/24)

Reflecting Pool.  (6/24)

Iran War.  (6/24)