The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, strategically vital waterway located between Iran to the north and the Musandam Peninsula (shared by the United Arab Emirates and Oman) to the south. It serves as the only maritime outlet connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, making it the primary gateway for oil and liquefied natural gas exports from the region.
Approximately 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. This equates to about 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined products, representing roughly 20% of global petroleum consumption.
Trump had set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to open the vital Strait or face a new round of intensive air strikes on bridges and power plants. Late Tuesday he announced a ceasefire of two weeks after Iran agreed to reopen the Strait. Three-way talks for a more permanent solution will begin Friday in Pakistan, Fox News reported.
In a social media post earlier Tuesday the president had vowed to hit Iran's power plants and bridges and said the country would be "living in He—" if the Strait wasn’t opened.
Robert Knight is a columnist for the Washington Times. Trump doesn’t have to obliterate Iran to take control of the Strait, he says.
"At any point, he could order the U.S. military to go ahead and open up the Strait of Hormuz. A lot of people who are running for office as Republicans are hoping he'll do that because then the price of gas will drop again in time for the mid-term elections."
But Knight says Trump has a bigger view and faces a more challenging situation than most people — including the media tasked with telling the story — understand.
"People have a short attention span now. This war has been going on a little over a month, and they expect the whole thing to be over instantly. Iran's a big country. It had a lot of arms. It's a more complex situation than most people realize. Trump is playing five-dimensional chess while the press is playing two-dimensional checkers. "
