Iran Declares Expanded Maritime Zone Over Hormuz Strait
β HORMUZ β Iran formalizes its grip while Washington calls it negotiation. π LOOK CLOSER: Tehran converting de facto blockade into a formal maritime zone is the legal escalation Iran demanded. Any US naval challenge now carries the optics of aggression against a declared zone β not enforcement of transit rights. With Pakistan's draft in Tehran and Doha stalled, this embeds Hormuz sovereignty into the negotiation's core or nothing moves.