Whether the pen is mightier than the sword, the words propagated about the Iran war often appear more consequential than the fighting itself. In this conflict, language no longer merely describes reality; it competes with—and often supplants—it.

Is the Strait of Hormuz open to free navigation, as President Trump and the United States Central Command insist? Or has Iran effectively closed it by demanding that shipping companies pay for guaranteed safe passage? Or should the question be framed differently altogether? Is the decisive story the American naval blockade, punctuated by reports of tankers intercepted and turned back? Or is it the vessels damaged by mines laid in these treacherous waters by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard? Which account captures reality, and which merely captures attention?

The same uncertainty surrounds the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea. Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade on cargo linked to Saudi Arabia. Although several tankers were attacked, many others continued to deliver their cargo safely. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq struck Saudi oil facilities, forcing Aramco to suspend operations at one refinery and adding further volatility to global energy markets. Aramco released little information about the extent of........

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