The July Shockwave: How the U.S.–Iran Escalation Broke the Illusion of Stability — From Hormuz to Houston In early July 2026, the heat over the Persian Gulf felt different. Sailors described it as a pressure that settled on the skin and stayed there even after sunset, as if the air itself were bracing for impact. But beneath the physical heaviness was another kind of weight — political, volatile, unmistakable. The world had been holding its breath since June, when the United