President Donald Trump continues to insist the Iran war is essentially over after an April cease-fire agreement, but his order for the United States to help guide ships through the currently blocked Strait of Hormuz — the integral waterway that carries one-fifth of the world’s oil supply — is escalating tensions as Iran reiterates its threat to attack any vessels seeking to traverse the channel.

In a Sunday Truth Social post, Trump wrote that countries throughout the world have asked the U.S. to intervene and help their ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, calling them “merely neutral and innocent bystanders.” The president said that, beginning Monday morning, the U.S. will start to “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.” Shipping traffic through the strait has largely been halted by Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched their first strikes on the nation in late February. In April, the U.S. responded with a military blockade of ships entering or exiting Iranian ports.

“I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all. The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and........

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