The United States and Israel marked six months Friday since launching joint military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, with the conflict having evolved into a prolonged standoff that analysts say shows no signs of near-term resolution. What the Trump administration initially projected as a weeks-long campaign has produced neither Iran's surrender nor the restoration of normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints.

Approximately 6,000 sailors aboard 400 ships remain stranded in or near the Strait of Hormuz, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization reported Friday. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said a large-scale evacuation effort has stalled — only 136 vessels and roughly 2,900 seafarers have been evacuated, with no successful extractions since late June when renewed fighting paused the operation. At least 19 mariners have been killed in the region since the war began.

U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video statement Thursday that the military had cleared Iranian sea mines from internationally recognized transit routes in the strait, declaring the lanes "open" with "momentum building." President Trump echoed that claim, citing the safe passage of 24 oil tankers the previous night. However, U.S. allies have disputed whether the strait has been fully de-mined, and the figure of 24 transits compares starkly with the roughly 120 ships that passed through daily before the war began.

Global markets have absorbed much of the disruption, with front-month Brent crude oil futures up nearly 20% since the war started, though well below their April peak of $126.41 per barrel. Equity markets have largely shrugged off the conflict, buoyed by corporate earnings optimism. The White House has shifted strategy toward an economic pressure campaign it has labeled "Economic D-Day," targeting Iran and its trading partners through secondary sanctions, though analysts at Eurasia Group and the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the approach is unlikely to compel Iranian capitulation, given Tehran's historical resilience under economic pressure.

Geopolitical analysts said neither side appears ready to escalate significantly or make meaningful concessions, leaving the conflict in an indefinite holding pattern. Iran has not agreed to any of the five objectives the Trump administration set out at the war's start, peace talks have collapsed, and questions remain about whether the U.S. will extend sanctions pressure to China, one of Iran's largest trading partners. A White House official told CNBC the U.S. is now "entering the endgame" of the conflict, though analysts cautioned that a breakthrough does not appear imminent.