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The United States and Iran are back in war mode over the flow of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fundamentally, however, the two sides have the same strategic end goal: to reopen the strait in both directions. Their dispute is over how much control each side will wield in the postwar management of this global shipping choke point. The gaps are bridgeable, and it would be highly reckless for the United States and Iran to continue their bombing.

The wars of the past year have already demonstrated to both sides that military options are limited. As they jockey to strengthen their hand over the Strait of Hormuz, they risk a larger war that might include Israeli strikes on critical Iranian infrastructure and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, effectively closing another major shipping route.

The United States and Iran are back in war mode over the flow of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Fundamentally, however, the two sides have the same strategic end goal: to reopen the strait in both directions. Their dispute is over how much control each side will wield in the postwar management of this global shipping choke point. The gaps are bridgeable, and it would be highly reckless for the United States and Iran to continue their bombing.

The wars of the past year have already demonstrated to both sides that military options are limited. As they jockey to strengthen their hand over the Strait of Hormuz, they risk a larger war that might include Israeli strikes on critical Iranian infrastructure and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, effectively closing another major shipping route.

For the Iranian regime, the strait has become a symbol of triumph over the United States and Israel and a guarantee of its survival. Its ability to cut off access to the strait has proved to be a weapon of mass........

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