How the U.S. Navy Is Blockading the Strait of Hormuz to Choke Off Iran’s Ports
American military forces began blockading all traffic attempting to enter and leave Iranian ports on Monday, setting up a risky new showdown after peace talks in Pakistan collapsed this past weekend.
With enough warships, a blockade could intimidate many tankers attempting to move oil to and from Iran. But U.S. forces would also need to be ready to board and seize hostile ships that try to break the blockade. Former and current officials said it can be done, but it is a complex operation that requires significant U.S. military resources.
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Iran’s “shadow fleet,” a network of oil tankers that secretly export oil in defiance of international sanctions, will likely sit out the fight, but Iranian-flagged ships are more likely to attempt to transit the waterway, said retired VADM John Miller, a former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and JINSA General & Admirals Program participant. Those vessels may be guarded by a detachment of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces, he said.
The U.S. can track the movements of commercial vessels with surveillance tools, open-source data and military assets as they leave the Persian Gulf and exit the Strait of Hormuz, according to retired Navy VADM Kevin Donegan, who led U.S. Navy forces in the Middle East and is a JINSA Generals & Admirals Program participant. Gulf nations that have drones and surveillance platforms could also assist the effort.
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The hope is that squeezing the regime economically will compel it to resume negotiations for a political solution.
“Without a source of income, I think it becomes very difficult for the regime to continue to stay in power,” said Miller.
How did the idea for a blockade come about?
A military plan for blockading the Strait of Hormuz has been sitting on the shelves at U.S. Central Command headquarters for years. The U.S. Navy has successfully conducted other various blockades in the past, including halting shipments of Iranian weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, a former CENTCOM commander and the JINSA Hertog Distinguished Fellow.
Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.