US President Donald Trump’s Wednesday night address offered little new: Another two to three weeks of war (or military operations, as he prefers), and a warning that the US would strike Iran’s power plants if Tehran refuses a deal. “We have all the cards. They have none,” Trump said.
There was an echo of previous statements on the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump saying that keeping the chokepoint open would not be solely a US mission, and that countries that depend on Gulf oil and gas should assume responsibility to “grab it and cherish it.” The Pentagon is also, however, sending 18 more A-10 attack aircraft, which are often used to support ground operations.
More than a dozen countries have said they are willing to join efforts to reopen the strait, with former US Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. John Miller saying on a US Naval Institute podcast that during his watch and afterward, many countries joined the US fleet in Bahrain for exercises to demine both the strait and broader Gulf waterways.
The UAE — which, along with Bahrain, has been leading the Gulf’s diplomatic effort to pressure Iran — called on the UN Security Council to take “immediate action” to ensure “safe and secure navigation” in the waters, according to Bloomberg. Sultan Al Jaber, Group CEO of ADNOC, warned of the costs of keeping it closed and said Iran’s actions “represent global economic extortion — a threat the world cannot tolerate.”
