NewsTracker Answers for week of July 13, 2026

Q: The United States launched more strikes on Iran Saturday evening after the Iranian navy attacked a fourth ship in the Strait of Hormuz – the narrow waterway at the eastern end of the oil-rich Persian Gulf. Where is the Strait of Hormuz?

Circle the area on this map

Q: The 104-mile-long strait is 24 miles wide at its narrowest point, and it is the only connection between the Persian Gulf and the open sea. About how much of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is usually shipped through the Strait of Hormuz?

A. 10%

B. 20%

C. 30%

D. 40%

B. After the United States and Israel began bombing Iran in February, Iran blocked the strait by threatening to blow up any ship that tried to pass through it. The loss of a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas sent prices soaring worldwide, including in the United States.

Q: A cease-fire reopened the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran attacked ships that did not travel through its territorial waters. Those ships sailed close to the shores of which nation that shares the strait with Iran?

A. Jordan

B. Kuwait

C. Oman

D. Qatar

C. Part of Oman is at the tip of a peninsula on the southern shore of the Strait of Hormuz. That exclave is separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After last week’s U.S. bombardments, Iran targeted American military assets in Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Q: Iran wants to control all traffic through the strait, and it has said it wants to impose large tolls on ships. Who were the last people to demand tolls on ships sailing through the strait?

A. British

B. French

C. Ottomans

D. Portuguese

D. The Kingdom of Hormuz began demanding tolls in the 11th century. Portugal took over the business when it seized the kingdom in 1515. The tolls ended in 1662 when the Portuguese were kicked out by Safavid Iran and the English East India Company.

Q: Iranians again vowed revenge during last week’s funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first air strike of the war. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he ordered the destruction of Iran if it carries out its threats to kill him. Can he do that?

A. Yes

B. No

B. If Trump were killed, Vice President JD Vance would immediately become commander in chief of the military, and he would have to decide about any retaliation. The United States has no legal way to set up a “dead-man’s switch” to trigger an immediate military attack automatically.