An oil tanker seen on the open water near the Strait of Hormuz. The US Navy has few recourses available to prevent Iran from attacking slow-moving oil tankers, effectively grinding traffic to a halt. (Shutterstock/Clare Louise Jackson)

Why Can’t Donald Trump Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open?

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Iran’s naval strategy is based solely on attacking oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, in ways that are exceptionally difficult for US naval vessels to counter.

The United States launched strikes against Iranian targets for a sixth consecutive night on Thursday, suggesting to observers that the war is far from settled. Although US and Iranian negotiators agreed to a 14-point memorandum of understanding in June, backlash to that agreement in Washington appears to have led the Trump administration to resume the war in the hope of reaching a better deal.

The resumption of the war appears to have once again sealed off the Strait of Hormuz, in spite of Trump’s insistence that the US Navy could be used to escort ships in and out. It may seem strange to some observers that the United States, operator of the world’s strongest navy, cannot simply escort oil tankers through the strait, guaranteeing free passage through one of the world’s most important waterways. Indeed, the........

© The National Interest