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Uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz remains, as ceasefire nears its end

related to Iran just prior to landing at Joint Base Andrews. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F95%2F9f%2Fe40ec65f42bbad8ad2570e1746e7%2Fgettyimages-2271863466.jpg) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press aboard Air Force One on April

Strait of Hormuz blockade and other major naval sieges in modern times

Iran imposed competing [blockades](/news/2026/4/14/how-much-will-us-hormuz-blockade-hurt-iran-and-does-tehran-have-an-escape). Naval blockades are one of the oldest weapons in warfare, requiring no ground troops or invasion, just the ability to cut off what an enemy needs to survive. These blockades

‘Iron brothers’: How China and Pakistan built an unlikely 75-year bond

British rule in August 1947. Geography and threat perceptions mattered more than ideology. Islamabad formally joined the [Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)](/opinions/2023/4/10/pakistan-is-making-a-mistake-in-ignoring-the-us-for-china) in 1954 and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) in 1955, United States