The Hormuz Crisis Is Testing the Dollar’s Grip on Global Energy

Conceptual collage featuring a US hundred-dollar bill, an oil pump jack, and a map of the Middle East.

The Hormuz shutdown is exposing how fragile the petrodollar system has become, as soaring energy prices, supply‑chain shocks, and mounting strain on U.S. allies reveal a crisis that threatens both global energy flows and the dollar’s long-standing dominance in oil markets.

Iran Has Moved From Defending Itself to Dictating Terms

Bearded man holding an Iranian flag and portraits of Supreme Leaders in a large pro-government rally, including a poster of Ayatollah Khamenei.

Iran has shifted from absorbing blows to dictating the terms of any future settlement, using the Hormuz chokehold and calibrated retaliation to rebuild deterrence and force Washington to confront a reality it can’t bomb its way out of.

Iran’s Five Conditions Signal It Thinks It’s Winning

A line of vertically positioned large rockets and iranian ballistic missiles under a blue cloudy sky.

Iran’s sweeping counter‑demands — from reparations to Hormuz control and guarantees for its proxy network — show a government convinced it has the upper hand, rejecting U.S. terms and signaling it sees no reason to end a war it believes it’s winning.

A War Without a Vote: Congress, Russia, and the Iran Escalation

Senator Richard Blumenthal speaking at a press conference with US-Ukraine flag pin.

Congress is alarmed as Trump wages a widening war with Iran without authorization, while Russian intelligence aids Tehran and rising U.S. casualties intensify pressure over the possibility of ground troops in a conflict the public opposes and lawmakers never approved.