15:56 BST
Orla Guerin
Senior international correspondent, reporting from the Strait of Hormuz
The key battleground between Iran and the US may now be at sea, not on dry land.
President Trump has repeated that the Strait of Hormuz must be re-opened or – come Tuesday – Iranians will be “living in hell”.
The narrow waterway, which connects the Gulf and the Arabian Sea, used to be the route for one fifth of global oil supplies. Not anymore.
With the US countdown under way, we headed for the strait – or as close as we could get – setting sail from the port of Khasab, on the coast of Oman.
The view from our dhow, a traditional wooden sailing boat, was of ships at anchor close to the mouth of the strait.
We counted eight vessels just one nautical mile ahead of us. Maritime organisations say as many as 2,000 are stranded in the area.
Under clear blue skies, with the sun glinting on the waves, the strait looked calm and peaceful – but is now perhaps the most powerful weapon in the hands of Iran.
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, in a photo taken last month