The United States can sustain a blockade against Iran indefinitely, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, as Washington signaled it would step up economic pressure on Tehran after two more ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. Ordinary people don’t get a vote in any of this. Oil prices rose, shipping traffic fell further, and the machinery of state power kept grinding on while officials on every side talked about control, deterrence and alliances.
The State Monopoly at Sea
Hegseth said the U.S. has enough assets to keep pressure on Iran and can rotate ships in and out of the region as needed. In the same period, U.S. officials warned Iran that economic pressure would increase. The National said the U.S. military was preparing to send the USS George Washington carrier to the Middle East, that Saudi Arabia said 15 countries had signed a statement to establish a maritime alliance, that CENTCOM denied reports of deaths on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, that Houthi fighters claimed a drone strike on an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan, and that the U.S. can sustain a blockade against Iran “indefinitely,” Hegseth said.
The Jerusalem Post reported that shipping traffic fell further in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. and Iran competed over claims to control the waterway. It said the recently appointed head of Iran's Basij paramilitary unit said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran's control and management.” The same live updates said the UAE condemned an “aggressive Iranian attack” on tankers, that U.S. Energy Secretary said 9 million barrels of oil pass through Hormuz daily, and that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out.”
That’s the language of rulers, not residents. One side talks blockade, the other talks management, and the waterway becomes a stage for competing monopolies while tankers, prices and supply chains absorb the shock.
New Pacts, Same Security Logic
The Jerusalem Post also reported that CENTCOM launched a multinational attack drone force as the U.S. adapts to drone warfare, describing the initiative as an important development in harnessing the capabilities of U.S. allies and partners in the region. It said the drone initiative reflected broader regional military coordination.
Al-Monitor said the timing of the new Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defense agreement suggests the U.S.' traditional allies in the region are charting their own strategic path after the Iran war. The outlet said the United States is adrift in its war with Iran, that US-aligned states like Saudi Arabia are beginning to mobilize to shape their own strategic future, and that the new defense pact aligning Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan may prove little more than symbolic as regional rivalries continue to shift. It said the agreement, called the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, was signed on August 7, 2026, and that the three Sunni Muslim U.S. allies were alarmed by a regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters. The agreement says an armed attack against any member would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO's Article 5 collective defence clause. Al-Monitor said the accord could accelerate the region’s tilt toward multipolarity.
The Jerusalem Post said the new deal between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan illustrates how the Middle East’s regional powers are working together. It said Turkey is a NATO ally, that Saudi Arabia was once believed to be a possible partner in the Abraham Accords, and that the new deal raises questions about Israel, Egypt and the future of regional alignments. The article said the agreement will include joint exercises and deepen defence industry cooperation under a military pact, and that Reuters reported the three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. It said the accord calls for closer political and military coordination, expanded joint exercises, defense industrial cooperation and collaboration in unmanned systems, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare. It also said Saudi Arabia brings substantial financial resources to the deal, Turkey has one of NATO's largest militaries and an increasingly sophisticated local defense industry, and that U.S. President Donald Trump will likely welcome the arrangement because he wants U.S. allies to shoulder more of the defense burden.
The NGO Mirage of Peace
Jared Kushner wrote on X/Twitter on August 13 that “for too long, the region was trapped by old ideas and failed frameworks that managed conflict rather than solved it, and too often created incentives that perpetuated division and instability.” He added that “the idea behind the Abraham Accords was simple: instead of reinforcing the things that divide people, build bonds that bring them together. Increase understanding. Expand trade and investment. Deepen security cooperation. Create tangible benefits that make people’s lives better and give everyone a stake in peace.” Kushner also said that “the Middle East is once again at an inflection point. There are breakthrough opportunities today that many will say are impossible. But we have seen what can happen when leaders reject conventional thinking, focus on common interests, and have the courage to pursue a better future.”
The Jerusalem Post said the Abraham Accords marked their sixth anniversary this year and sought to reshape the region through normalization, economic growth and technological cooperation between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. It said Morocco is also a key member. The article said the new defense agreement reflects a sense that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan need to work together as the world rapidly changes, and that the anniversary of the Abraham Accords comes at a moment of transition. It said whether the two visions converge will depend on developments in Gaza, the trajectory of Iran and the willingness of regional leaders to keep building new partnerships.
So the region gets sold another round of managed peace, security cooperation and trade language, while the actual tools remain the same: carriers, drones, blockades, alliances and the people who pay for them. The names change. The apparatus doesn’t.