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President Trump didn’t mince words when he told Americans he would “pretty soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States, a bold, no-nonsense line that puts the safety of global shipping and American energy security front and center. For a president whose job is to protect this country, talk is cheap but action is expected, and his remark showed a clarity of purpose the left refuses to admit the country needs.
Make no mistake: the Strait of Hormuz is the choke point of the global energy market, and recent months have shown how fragile world peace is when hostile actors think they can blackmail the West with a shipping lane. Iran’s mixed messages about reopening passage—and its insistence on conditions—have only underscored that diplomatic niceties will not secure American interests without firm deterrence.
Allies in Europe have been reluctant to join Washington’s hard-line moves to reopen the passage, leaving a leadership gap that America cannot afford to pretend doesn’t exist. If NATO won’t step up, the president is right to force the question: who will defend unrestricted navigation and the energy supplies that power our factories and homes? The alternative is letting hostile regimes decide who pays at the pump and who pays the price for global commerce.
This isn’t abstract saber-rattling; U.S. forces have already been forced to engage to protect ships transiting the strait, intercepting Iranian attacks that threatened American sailors and commercial vessels. That reality proves the region is not safe by accident, and it proves the foolishness of critics who tell us to shrink from confronting bad actors who target our interests.
Diplomacy did produce a memorandum of understanding that, on paper, called for reopening the Strait as part of a ceasefire framework, but paper is no substitute for capability and resolve when the ayatollahs test our will. If Tehran wants commerce and diplomacy back, it must demonstrate it by actions, not words, and America must keep the leverage until those actions are verifiable.
Conservatives should be unapologetic: national security demands that we secure critical sea lanes, protect our sailors, and ensure unfettered trade for our allies and industries. The president’s promise to assert American authority over essential maritime routes is the kind of decisive leadership that discourages aggression and keeps prices stable in the long term, even if some short-term sacrifices are required.
So to the hardworking Americans paying at the pump and wondering who’s keeping them safe, this is the argument you deserve to hear plainly. Stand with leadership that puts American security and prosperity first, challenge the naysayers who prefer appeasement, and demand Congress back the commander-in-chief when he moves to defend our nation and the global order that keeps freedom thriving.
