‘Safe passage’: The fatal ambiguity at the heart of the Hormuz MoU

The June 2026 memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran aimed to ensure 'safe passage' for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, but the clause is legally vague and allows both sides to interpret it differently. Article 5 tasks Iran with holding a dialogue with Oman and other Gulf states to define the future administration of the strait, without requiring any agreement. As a result, the US has resumed blockading Iranian ports and mutual strikes have resumed, which the author argues is the logical conclusion of the deal rather than its collapse.