U.S. and Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz intensifies

Iran threatened to block all oil exporting routes in the region on Wednesday in response to the U.S. maritime blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x685+0+0/resize/1024x685!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0e%2F3d%2Fdf800b9a44dd9e565ac28866c2e5%2Fgettyimages-2285448249.jpg' alt='Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.'/><p>Iran threatened to block all oil exporting routes in the region on Wednesday in response to the U.S. maritime blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.</p><p>(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5894582' />