In the narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world's oil passes and where great powers have long measured one another's resolve, Iran claimed to have struck an uncrewed American vessel — a claim the United States swiftly and flatly rejected. The exchange, whether rooted in fact or in the theater of military signaling, reflects a deeper and enduring contest over who holds authority in one of the world's most consequential passages. Neither side fired the first shot in this particular war of words, yet both understand that in such a place, words and weapons are rarely far a