After months of waiting, U.S. importers will finally have access to the $166 billion collected from tariffs that were ruled unconstitutional. But as American small businesses battered by the import taxes (and individual consumers) look to recoup the cost of the levies, they may find it’s difficult. As is usually the case, the larger, wealthier companies should be fine.

Earlier this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rolled out the first phase of its electronic tariff refund system and of more than 330,000 U.S. importers, about 56,497 have applied for refunds. According to Fortune, small businesses were hit particularly hard by the levies. A Federal Reserve survey published last month found 42% of small firms called rising costs owing to tariffs a primary financial concern. These smaller businesses, which operate on tiny margins, have a harder time stockpiling inventories or eating tariff costs to avoid passing down higher prices to consumers. A March report from the Center for American Progress found small businesses paid $306,000 in tariffs on average last year.

For some U.S. businesses, the highly anticipated refunds could be substantial, offering critical if belated financial relief. Major shippers, including UPS, FedEx and DHL, have filed for refunds, of course. The companies also pledged to return money to customers who shouldered added tariff costs. UPS and FedEx told CBS News that once the federal government approves the claims and issues refunds, they’ll reimburse customers who paid the levies.

Only the “importer of record”, or IOR, can request refunds through the CAPE portal, meaning that individual consumers cannot file claims. So what about the extra cost that was baked into the final price of those items we bought recently? When it was just a price increase rather than listed as a separate fee on a shipping bill? Experts told NPR there’s not much we can do about that now.

Iran renewed its attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, while calling the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports a breach of the ongoing ceasefire. President Trump said he was extending the ceasefire indefinitely, but the U.S. is sending thousands more forces to the region.

Meanwhile, experts are saying the number of ships passing through the strait has become a barometer of how the war is affecting the global economy. The latest attacks show that Tehran still has a stranglehold on the strait that allows it to ratchet up the pain on the global economy, even though the U.S. military has struck some 13,000 targets in Iran and set up a naval blockade against it. This strategic move gives Iran leverage in any talks with the United States to end the war.

Further slowing process, the Washington Post reports that it could take six months to fully clear the strait of mines deployed by the Iranian military, and any such operation is unlikely to be carried out until the U.S. war ends. The Pentagon assessment, shared in a classified briefing for lawmakers, suggests gasoline and oil prices could remain elevated through the midterm elections.

A landmark bill has just been passed in the U.K. that will effectively permanently ban smoking for anyone aged 17 and younger. Dubbed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, the legislation bars anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009 from ever buying cigarettes or vapes. The bill also bans vaping in cars carrying children, at playgrounds, in hospitals, or near schools, according to the BBC.

It sounds like vaping will be allowed (outside hospitals), but only to support those who are trying to quit. “Prevention is better than cure — this reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS [National Health Service], and build a healthier Britain,” Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said. The bill passed both Houses of Parliament, and now awaits “royal assent” from King Charles, who in 2023 expressed his support for the measure while speaking to Parliament.

More than 5 million people aged 18 and up smoke in the U.K., latest statistics show, with the largest proportion coming from the 25- to 34-year-old age group. If this takes off, could such measures cross the pond?