Amid the US-Israel-Iran war, one cannot escape the chilling historical parallel unfolding off Iran’s southern coast. The Strait of Hormuz — that narrow 39-km chokepoint through which 20% of the world’s seaborne oil once flowed — has become a de facto Iranian fortress. Shipping traffic has collapsed to near zero, insurance premiums have spiked, and Brent crude briefly touched $126 per barrel. The United States and its hesitant allies now confront the grim prospect of forcing the passage. US President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for coalition warships to escort tankers and “reopen the strait” echo another ill-fated naval gamble a...