“The full reopening of the Strait is something the Administration is working towards, but the core objectives of the operation have been clearly defined for the American people by the Commander in Chief,” Leavitt said.
Despite the sinking of its navy and daily bombardments from U.S. warplanes, Iran’s military has still managed to menace merchant ships moving through the crucial waterway, cutting off oil shipments and driving up the price of crude oil on the global market. Iran allowed some ships to pass through the chokepoint in late March, after intense diplomacy from the U.S.
The prospect of Iran continuing to exert greater control over the narrow Strait could make it one of the lasting legacies of the conflict.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz would “reopen one way or another” after the military operation was over. “It will be open because Iran agrees to abide by international law and not block the commercial waterway, or a coalition of nations around the world and the region, with the participation of the United States, will make sure that it’s open,” Rubio said.
Read the full article here
