Simon Mabon, professor at Lancaster University in England, notes two things are worth keeping in mind as Iran appears to be doubling down on its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“First, there’s a question mark over whether this marks a more forceful, more coercive effort to control what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz or whether it’s a broader issue of power structures within the Islamic Republic more broadly,” Mabon told Al Jazeera.

This could be part of a deliberate strategy, or it could be “a reflection of a broader uncertainty in terms of who is taking these decisions over what to do diplomatically, politically and strategically in the strait,” said Mabon.

Secondly, “things are going to get more and more heated when you have essentially two different blockading forces competing for control over the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

“I think that really ratchets up the tensions, and in light of that with the unknowns, the pressures of the ceasefire looming, it makes it a really precarious moment.”