The cat-and-mouse game of naval warfare has taken a quantum leap into the hypersonic age. As China’s arsenal of hypersonic missiles grows more sophisticated by the day, U.S. Navy destroyers patrolling the vast expanse of the Western Pacific face an unprecedented challenge.

Iran denied that the American destroyers had entered the strait, as negotiations for an extended cease-fire continued in Islamabad. By Michael Crowley Julian E. Barnes Adam Rasgon and Tyler Pager Michael Crowley and Julian Barnes reported from Washington ...