Do you really think the US military was given orders to control the strait, and couldn’t?

It showed limits for sure. But the limits were bluster without the will to follow through (and accept the consequences).

It’s a political and diplomatic catastrophe for an empire in decline. But if control of the strait had been an actual priority, it would have been very achievable. That was never the goal though. The goal was to look stupid on TV, for some reason.