A former senior U.S. official who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations delivered a blunt assessment when asked about the Trump administration's failure to plan for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz: "I'm dumbfounded."
Trump's own top officials admitted to lawmakers behind closed doors that they never planned for the possibility that Iran would shut down the strait in response to U.S. military strikes, multiple sources familiar with classified congressional briefings told CNN. The scenario is among the most catastrophic economic scenarios American national security planners have war-gamed for decades.
“Planning around preventing this exact scenario — impossible as it has long seemed — has been a bedrock principle of US national security policy for decades,” the former US official, who served in Republican and Democratic administrations, told CNN. “I’m dumbfounded.”
The staggering oversight stemmed from administration officials convincing themselves that closing the strait would hurt Iran more than America, according to the report.
Complicating things further, the Navy said it can't escort oil tankers through the strait, as it doesn't have ships to spare.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC: “It’ll happen relatively soon, but it can’t happen now. We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities."
Trump has played down the crisis, suggesting on Truth Social that rising oil prices are fine because "we make a lot of money" — without explaining who "we" is.
The strait remains closed for now as gas prices soar.