India, March 26 -- For four weeks and counting, the world has been watching one narrow body of water in the Persian Gulf. Now, its alternative is also encircled in red.

Any real diplomatic thaw to end the US-Israel war on Iran is still awaited. In fact the war still appears to be escalating as US President Donald Trump oscillates between positions, and Iran holds fort.

At the nub of the conflict so far has been the Strait of Hormuz. A 33-km-wide passage through which a fifth of the world's oil is usually shipped, it has been effectively shut since the start of March. After an American-Israel attack sparked a wider conflict in the oil-rich Gulf region, the Iranian military has responded with a global supply squeeze by closing this trade ...