The vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday to limit Donald Trump’s authority to continue his war in Iran will not bring that conflict to an end. But it does represent a symbolic setback for the U.S. president on an issue — the Middle East — that has become, both domestically and in foreign policy, the most painful stone in the shoe of his return to the White House. Meanwhile, the weeks go by and, with the peace deal with Tehran stalled, it seems clear that Washington has no idea how to extract itself from a quagmire of its own making.

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Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire, a tripartite statement from both governments and the U.S. State Department announced. The cessation of hostilities is conditional on the Lebanese fundamentalist militant group Hezbollah completely halting its attacks and withdrawing its operatives from south of the Litani River. If implemented, the pact would open the door to relaunching peace talks between the United States and Iran.

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In December 2024, the Eagle S., an oil tanker flying the Cook Islands flag that had sailed from a Russian port, was detained by Finnish police. It was accused of damaging an electric cable and four other data cables on the floor of the Baltic Sea with its anchor. It may have been an accident, but repeated incidents prompted NATO the following month to launch a military operation, Baltic Sentry, deploying surveillance aircraft, ships, and drones to confront the undersea threat. Suspicions pointed to the so‑called Russian ghost fleet, with which the Putin regime is evading EU sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

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Despite all the difficulties, as numerous as they are, something is moving in the Strait of Hormuz. Even before the United States and Iran agreed to reopen it, the world’s most important energy shipping lane has shown signs of a slight loosening. Despite the double blockade — imposed first by Tehran and then by Washington — the number of ships managing to transit has grown in recent days. Some — the majority — do so with the permission of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Others are escorted by the U.S. Navy. A few take the risk on their own.

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