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The last few weeks have made plain what every sensible American has long feared: the fight for the Strait of Hormuz is no longer abstract diplomacy, it is hot combat on the high seas as Iran escalates attacks on commercial shipping and the United States answers with strikes to protect freedom of navigation. U.S. forces have launched retaliatory strikes after multiple vessels transiting the strait were hit, signaling that Washington will not allow Tehran to weaponize a vital global chokepoint.
Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery told Fox viewers exactly what patriotic citizens expect — that the United States must restore normal international law in the strait and use every tool of American power to keep this waterway open for commerce and allies. His blunt assessment that we cannot bargain away America’s maritime lifelines reflects common-sense toughness rather than the usual diplomatic handwringing.
Iran’s playbook has been predictable and dangerous: use small boats, drones, missiles and control of strategic littoral islands to intimidate shipping and coerce the world through fear. Tehran has long relied on those choke points and nearby islands to project leverage over tankers and shipping lanes, and the recent strikes on multiple tankers make clear this is a coordinated campaign to strangle maritime traffic.
The U.S. response has been appropriately kinetic, targeting Iran’s small-boat swarm capabilities and other launch platforms so that American and allied vessels can transit without Iranian harassment. This is the right kind of pressure — degrade the tools Iran uses to bully the seas and demonstrate that attacks on commerce will carry a heavy price.
There are real consequences for sitting idle while Tehran tightens its grip: energy markets have already felt the strain, with prices jumping as uncertainty over passage through Hormuz spikes and insurers balk at taking on needless risk. That economic pain is a reminder that national security and energy security are inseparable, and that we must pursue policies that reduce reliance on hostile regimes while protecting American consumers.
Enough with the appeasers who treat strength as a last resort; the moment calls for firm, unapologetic action to strip Iran of the means to threaten global commerce and to deny the regime the leverage it seeks. If diplomacy is to succeed, it must be backed by force — not the other way around — and American leadership must be backed by a willingness to make Tehran pay for aggression until it changes behavior.
Hardworking Americans should stand with the men and women in uniform who keep the sea lanes open and defend our interests abroad, and demand that our allies finally pull their weight. If we want peace through strength, Washington must fund it, execute it, and never blink when hostile actors try to turn the world’s bottle-neck into a bargaining chip against freedom.
