US President’s proposal to deploy Navy vessels to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz has been labelled a “very dangerous mission” a foreign policy expert told CNN.
The narrow passage, through which around 20% of the world’s crude oil normally flows, has been effectively blocked by Iran, triggering a spike in global energy prices.
Rosemary Kelanic, Director of the Middle East Program at Defence Priorities, told CNN: “It’s a very dangerous mission.
“Iran occupies the higher ground across the northern side of the strait, allowing it to launch drones, missiles, or small-boat attacks. Because they can strike from the shore, there’s just not enough reaction time to prevent ships from being hit.”
The warning underscores the risks of escalating US-Iran tensions in a region already destabilised by recent drone and missile strikes, with potentially far-reaching consequences for global shipping and energy markets.
President Donald Trump has issued a clear warning to Iran, stating that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened “one way or the other,” including the possibility of military action if necessary.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social on Saturday: “Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending warships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the strait open and safe.
“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated.
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water.
“One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint, through which around 20% of the world’s oil supply passes. According to the Joint Maritime Information Centre, traffic has plummeted from approximately 138 ships a day to just five.
More than 1,000 cargo vessels have been trapped in the waterway, which is only 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point and runs along the coast of Iran.
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