US–Iran 60-Day Ceasefire MOU Digitally Signed, Strait of Hormuz Set to Reopen

Great-power bargaining over Middle-East chokepoints echoes the 1956 Suez Crisis, when Anglo-French control collapsed under U.S.–Soviet pressure, and the 1988 Earnest Will convoys that kept Hormuz oil flowing; both episodes showed how economic chokepoints can flip from military to diplomatic leverage within months. The new MOU fits a century-long trend of energy transit routes dictating geopolitical alignments, yet its digital, quickly-negotiated nature hints at a post-Westphalian era where leaders trade electronic signatures before legislatures weigh in. If the strait stays open without tolls, it nudges the global system toward freer maritime commons; if it snaps shut again, it will reaffirm that control of narrow sea lanes can still outgun satellite-age firepower. Either way, on a 100-year horizon the episode will test whether fossil-fuel chokepoints retain strategic value as the world edges toward diversified energy and decentralized supply chains.