As the international attention on the occasion of the is focused on the developments regarding the – given their importance in the world market and the consequences that their closure already appears to have on the economy – the American leadership appears to be considering scenarios for “breaking” the Iranian control in the Straits, both through the mouth of the president himself, and a few days ago through statements by the head of the General Staff of the American Armed Forces, General Dan Kane.
Trump wants an international alliance for the Straits and an escort of ships
In two of his posts, Donald Trump appeared to present an initiative that the US is expected to take on the issue and set up an “alliance” with international partners (China, France, Japan, South Korea, Great Britain and others), but also with countries whose oil passes through the Straits, with the aim of controlling navigation in the area.
This new idea by the US president comes after reports from both him and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that they are considering the possibility of warships escorting tankers and other vessels through the Straits.
What General Dan Kane had to say about it
These ideas, which essentially describe the control of navigation in the Straits by the USA (and now also by international partners) are extremely difficult to implement in practice, as at least General Kane had revealed a few days ago. The general made it clear that an operation to control the Straits is far from easy, given both the geography of the region and the strong presence of Iranian forces there.
In fact, American naval officers underline the danger of opening the Straits with warships as drones and anti-ship missiles from the Iranian side could threaten the lives of many sailors and soldiers.
What does escorting ships in the Straits mean in practice?
According to a related Wall Street Journal article, military analysts estimate that in a typical escort scenario, at least two warships should take part for each tanker, while larger oil tanker convoys (consisting of five to ten tankers) would need more than a dozen warships, as well as dozens of MQ-9 Reaper drones to intercept potential threats from the air, such as drone attacks or missiles.
As experts said, the ships participating in such missions have limited capabilities due to their mission both to defend and to attack.
The US is considering a scenario for ground forces
In this context, there are not a few reports that the US appears to be considering the possibility of using ground forces for operations in the Straits, and in fact there are already reports of the deployment of approximately 5,000 Marines and landing units in the Middle East, as well as the sending of more warships by the Trump administration.
As the special military analysts note, this option is a clear expansion of the war and will require much larger military forces than those already concentrated around Iran.
It will also require better coordination for attacks inside Iran and against Revolutionary Guard positions and will likely last several months.
These scenarios are on the table in the context of the ongoing conflict in the region, and experts note that the fastest way to restore traffic in the Straits is of course the end of hostilities.
It is noteworthy that the US already wanted to make its presence felt, especially in the area of the Straits and the Persian Gulf, with the strike on the island of Harg, in which, according to what Trump himself announced, only the facilities of the Revolutionary Guards, but also ammunition depots, such as mines, were hit.
