A childish TV outburst by Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth notwithstanding, the Trump administration clearly did not have a plan in place if Iran chose to choke off the Strait of Hormuz.
Indeed, the problem with this narrow sea passage for oil-laden vessels mirrors what I see as the administration’s failure in its overall war scheme. It chose to take out Iranian national assets, including its navy, its air and land defense systems, and its ability to build and launch missiles.
This strategy failed to take into account the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the boats it controls in the Strait of Hormuz, and the drones and mines it can send to bottle up the strait.
Faced with this crisis of his own making, President Trump has taken to social media to announce that “many countries” will be sending naval assets to the region to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. This is interesting because Trump just a week ago dismissed Great Britain’s offer of sending an aircraft carrier as basically “too little, too late.”
As for Trump’s fantasy armada, who is going to join it? If the Gulf nations have any naval assets, they might join in — might. Great Britain, France, maybe Japan — these countries seem more like long shots. India and China? Let’s hope not. If China sends its ships, it will be to protect Iran as much as to open the waterway.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how Trump can achieve a victory in Iran, let alone an “unconditional surrender,” so long as the IRGC is still chanting, “Death to America.”
Pardon my pessimism, but Hegsethian rants do not equate to victory over Iran and its IRGC, the force that is truly still in charge.
[PICTURED: Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth at a press conference]
