Iran war is no longer a contest over just the Strait of Hormuz

Early on July 12, after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice and struck a Cyprus-flagged container ship, the United States launched its third round of strikes in a week, hitting some 140 targets. Most were along Iran’s southern coast overlooking the strait – including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Jask and Qeshm – but one strike days earlier pointed to a different logic. On July 9, US cruise missiles hit the Aq Taqeh Khan bridge in Aq Qala, in the northern province of…