This contest over the world’s most important energy passage reveals a harsh reality: the calm of the Gulf is never more than a fragile illusion. The essence of the current conflict is an intense struggle between the two sides for control of the Strait. Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz into a strategic lever that carries more weight than the nuclear issue, seeking to gain negotiating leverage by controlling passage rights; the United States, meanwhile, will not tolerate the Strait being dominated by Iran for the long term and is trying to build deterrence through military pressure.