Trump Declares April Ceasefire with Iran "On Life Support" After Rejecting Tehran's 14-Point Offer

History rhymes: Tehran’s bid to leverage a chokepoint echoes the 1984-88 “Tanker War,” when Iran sowed mines in Hormuz and the U.S. re-flagged Kuwaiti ships; that standoff ended with Operation Praying Mantis (1988) after months of half-measures much like today’s fragile pause. Structurally, the episode underlines two longer arcs: (1) the steady diffusion of Gulf military power from Washington toward regional actors—note the UAE’s clandestine air raid—and (2) the weaponisation of energy corridors in an era where even a mid-ranking power can jolt $100-oil and test the dollar system. Whether Trump pulls the trigger or not, the signal to future strategists is clear: maritime choke-points remain cheap pressure valves against larger adversaries, and U.S. domestic tolerance for distant wars (polls show 66 % confusion over war aims) is thin. On a century scale, this may mark another step in the erosion of uncontested U.S. naval primacy, much as Suez (1956) presaged Britain’s imperial sunset; great powers can still strike, but sustaining control over global commons is ever costlier and increasingly contested.