US escalates pressure on Iran with Hormuz ultimatum and sanctions after journalist kidnapping

The United States has escalated tensions with Iran by issuing an ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. Concurrently, Washington is targeting individuals with connections to Iran through domestic arrests and security warnings, including relatives of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. This pressure campaign follows the kidnapping of an American journalist in Iraq, which is viewed as a related development in the bilateral confrontation.