We Gave Iran the Strait of Hormuz and Nobody Bothered to Tell Us

By Tammy-Jo Pritchett · August 8, 2026

Opinion

Let me walk you through what the smart people in Washington have been up to while you were trying to figure out if you could afford to fill your minivan this month.

We started a war with Iran on February 28. We bombed them. Israel bombed them. The whole thing was supposed to topple the government and end their nuclear program. Five months later, none of that happened. What did happen is that Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas used to flow, and our military ran its munitions inventory down to “critical lows.” That’s not me talking. That’s what the reports say.

So now here we are. Iran and Oman have finalized a draft deal to reopen the strait. And guess what the deal says. Ships entering the Persian Gulf go through an Iranian-controlled route. Ships leaving go through an Omani route. Iran gets to charge service fees. Iran is demanding 5 to 7 percent of the value of every cargo that passes through. Oman, playing the role of reasonable middleman, generously floated 3 percent.

One source told Reuters, “The concession has already been made regarding some form of control over Hormuz.”

Let me translate that from diplomat-speak into mom-speak. We lost. We started a war we couldn’t finish, and now we’re handing the tollbooth to the country we bombed.

Here’s what President Trump said about this on Monday: “I’m not going to let them charge. Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge.” Strong words. Very strong. Except his own Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, told CNBC the same week that a deal could come “today or tomorrow” and that he thought there would be “freedom of movement.” Freedom of movement. Through a strait where Iran decides who gets in and collects a percentage of everything on board. That’s some freedom.

Marco Rubio, our Secretary of State, said last month that giving Iran control of the strait would create a “very dangerous precedent.” He said that on the record with his whole chest. And now his own State Department is confirming “progress” on exactly that deal. I’d ask if anyone in this administration talks to each other, but I already know the answer. They’re too busy taking turns at the microphone saying opposite things and hoping nobody notices.

Here’s what really gets me. The United States is not even part of these negotiations. Iran and Oman are cutting the deal. We’re sitting on the sidelines like a kid who wasn’t invited to the birthday party but whose mom still has to pay for the gift. Iran literally denies it’s negotiating with us. They said the talks are “only with Oman.” We bombed them for five months and they won’t even admit they’re talking to us.

And while all this is happening, Iran is warning its Gulf neighbors that any new U.S. attack would trigger retaliation against their energy infrastructure. They’re not scared of us anymore. They know our munitions

Sources