Biden Defense secretary: US Navy could open Strait of Hormuz

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Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday said the U.S. could reopen the Strait of Hormuz but should only undertake the effort with the support of international allies.

“Certainly, the United States Navy could open the Strait of Hormuz,” Austin, who served under former President Biden, told Bloomberg during remarks at the HSBC Gulf Cooperation Council Exchanges Conference in London.

“Holding it open for a long period of time would be pretty costly and so we’d like to see an international effort, if that’s the case,” he added.

Austin noted that freedom of navigation is not just important to the US but to the “entire globe.”

Early in the war, President Trump slammed foreign countries, including South Korea, Japan, Germany and other nations for not intervening to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is swiftly reopened.

The critical shipping route has been largely closed to commercial traffic since March, limiting the transport of oil and fuel from the Middle East.

Under normal circumstances, the waterway carries a fifth of the world’s oil transports daily.

“We would like to see this ceasefire hold, so that we can get negotiations completed and then we can get the strait open again,” Austin, who has served as a national security consultant since Trump returned to the White House, said on Monday.

“It’s important to not only the United States but the entire global economy. And so, the sooner we can do that, the better,” he continued.

The strait’s closure has jolted global shipping markets and increased gas prices nationally.

The national average for gas in the U.S. sits at $4.16 as of Tuesday morning, according to AAA’s price tracker.

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Donald Trump

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Lloyd Austin

Strait of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz reopening

Trump administration

U.S.-Iran ceasefire

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