4 ways Trump has suggested the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened — and why they're a tough lift

President Donald Trump has floated several — at times contradictory — ways for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iran’s blockade is already driving up prices and squeezing economies amid an uncertain future.

Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates, on March 19, 2026. | AP

President Donald Trump made clear Tuesday that the fate of the Iranian people — and their civilization — is in his hands as he threatens to bomb them back to the “stone ages.”

But the Iranian regime has a trump card too: continuing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint so vital that decisions made today could determine the global economy for months, even years, to come. Oil and gas shortages as a result of Iran’s blockade have already caused a crisis in parts of Asia and Europe, tipping some countries such as Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom dangerously close to recession.

Trump has set a deadline of 8 p.m. today for Iran to agree to reopen Hormuz or face a wave of destruction that will start with the power grid, energy infrastructure and desalination plants, which are crucial for providing potable water for millions of people. Iran has pledged to retaliate by obliterating energy infrastructure in the region, which provides about 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas, and effectively keeping Hormuz shut for the foreseeable future.

© Politico