Iran uses control of the strait as a final bargaining chip in nuclear negotiations. It will not fully relinquish control until US sanctions and blockades are fully lifted.

Trump's Counterattack: President Trump responded via social media by calling Pope Leo "weak on crime" and "very bad on foreign policy ." Trump also suggested that Leo was elected pope only because he was American and so he could "handle" him.

Minimum Traffic: Commercial shipping has plummeted to historic lows; on April 19, only three vessels were reported to have transited the strait.Kinetic Incidents: Over the weekend, US Marines seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska after it attempted to evade the blockade. Meanwhile, the IRGC has reportedly fired on merchant ships, including Indian-flagged tankers, and has threatened to destroy any military vessels approaching the waterway.

Ship Capture: A team of Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) deployed from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli conducted a helicopter landing to capture the ship.