President Donald Trump has issued new executive orders seeking to narrow eligibility for US birthright citizenship and curb “birth tourism”, reopening a constitutional dispute over who qualifies as a citizen at birth. Separately, Iran is considering a plan to bar US- and Israeli-linked ships from the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy-trade route, potentially escalating pressure on shipping and diplomatic negotiations.

The citizenship measures reportedly target particular parental circumstances, including cases involving commercial arrangements to secure citizenship, but face likely legal challenges under the Fourteenth Amendment. Iran’s proposed rules could also impose charges of up to 7% of cargo value on other commercial vessels and withhold passage from countries until it receives compensation for war damage; the strait previously carried roughly a fifth of globally traded oil and liquefied natural gas.