Billion-dollar negotiations have ground to a halt, not because of war or oil, but because of a truly stubborn debate over which vowel sound is 'correct'.

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<p>Sources inside the negotiation say that early optimism collapsed within minutes of opening statements, when a British delegate confidently offered ‘HOR-muzz’ and was immediately countered by an American counterpart’s ‘hor-MOOZE’.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theshovel.com.au/2026/04/22/marathon-negotiations-still-no-closer-to-resolving-correct-pronunciation-of-hormuz/">Marathon Negotiations Still No Closer To Resolving Correct Pronunciation of ‘Hormuz’</a> appeared first on <a href="https...