On June 17, President Trump and Iran signed a ceasefire agreement, pausing a naval blockade the US had imposed after the Islamabad peace talks failed in April. The deal required Iran only to use "best efforts" for safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz — not a guaranteed open waterway. Both sides immediately read that language differently. Iran violated the agreement three times: a drone attack on a ship in late June, strikes on three more vessels on July 7, and an attack on two UAE-flagged supertankers on July 13 that killed one crew member. Trump declared the ceasefire "over" on July 8–9 and on July 13 announced that US Central Command will reinstate the naval blockade of all Iranian ports today at 4 p.m. ET.

1. The Ceasefire Failed Because Iran Kept Attacking Ships (Trump Administration, Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper)

Iran violated the deal repeatedly, and the administration says the blockade is the only lever left.

Iran violated the ceasefire almost immediately. It drone-attacked a vessel on June 25, barely a week after signing the agreement. On July 7, it struck three more vessels. That same day, the US revoked Iran's oil sales license. On July 13, Iran struck two UAE supertankers in Omani territorial waters, killing one crew member.

The blockade is legal, the US argues. International law of armed conflict gives a belligerent nation the right to blockade an adversary's ports, and the US says that applies here. Ships transiting the Strait toward non-Iranian destinations can pass freely; humanitarian cargo can enter Iran with inspection. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper called it "the right move" on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed support.

2. But Congress Never Authorized This War (Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Chris Murphy)

Democrats say the blockade escalates a war Trump has been fighting illegally for months.

Congress never voted to authorize this conflict. Trump filed a War Powers Act notice when fighting resumed, starting the 60-day clock. He's never asked Congress for authorization to use military force. Both the Senate and the House have passed resolutions directing Trump to end the fighting or seek congressional approval. At the 60-day mark, Senate Republicans blocked the most recent Democratic attempt — led by Sen. Adam Schiff of California — on party lines.

Gas is up and there's no exit strategy. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been pressing Trump to end the war, pointing to gas at about $4.23 a gallon. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut called the National Defense Authorization Act "essentially an Iran War authorization bill." He voted no. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii noted Congress hasn't had an up-or-down vote on whether to fight Iran at all.

3. And the Blockade Itself Violates International Law (IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, Spain, China)

US allies, global institutions, and rivals all say blocking a sovereign nation's ports crosses a legal line.

There's no legal basis for this, the International Maritime Organization says. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated there is "no legal basis in international law to block any strait used for international navigation." The IMO's 40-member council said transit rights through international straits cannot be "threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended." The US counters that it isn't blocking the Strait itself — only traffic to and from Iranian ports. The IMO isn't persuaded.

The US's closest allies aren't with Trump on this either. The UK, Australia, and the European Union have all come out for de-escalation rather than blockade. Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the blockade "makes no sense." China called the move "irresponsible and dangerous" and said it "would go against the international community's interests." Russia warned of an "economic earthquake."

Oil markets are already feeling it. Prices surged about 9% on Monday's blockade announcement. Brent crude hit above $85 a barrel by this morning. Just six vessels crossed the Strait in a 12-hour window on July 11, compared to 18 to 22 a day before the fighting resumed. About 230 loaded oil tankers are sitting in the Persian Gulf with nowhere to go. The International Energy Agency has called the war the "largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market."

Where This Lands

Trump says Iran voided the ceasefire by striking ships, and that blockading an adversary's ports is legal under the law of armed conflict. Congressional Democrats say the war itself was never authorized by Congress, and the blockade is an escalation of an already illegal conflict. The IMO, US allies, and global rivals say blockading a nation's ports in a strategically critical waterway crosses a line that international maritime law doesn't allow. US Central Command begins enforcement at 4 p.m. ET today.

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