Can Trump force open the Strait of Hormuz?

The collapse of the Iran ceasefire has pushed oil prices higher and left Tehran using the Strait of Hormuz as its most powerful leverage. With American casualties rising and roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply at risk, Washington faces a stark choice – keep bombing, attempt to force the strait open or start looking for a way out. 

Kirsten Fontenrose, former White House national security advisor, joins The General & The Journalist to assess Trump’s options. Can the US reopen the strait without triggering a wider war? And can Trump pull back before Iran becomes America’s next forever war?

Is a military showdown in the Gulf inevitable? Send in your thoughts to generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk

Chapters: 

• 00:00 – Is Iran Trump’s Forever War?
• 05:22 – Why Iran wants to control the Strait of Hormuz
• 09:41 – US Troop deaths and growing political pressure on Trump
• 13:23 – Trump’s Iran Options: Diplomacy, Naval Blockade or Escalation
• 27:14 – Can the US reopen the Strait? Kirsten Fontenrose’s Six-Month Forecast

Guest: Kirsten Fontenrose, former Senior Director for Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council

Hosts: Tom Newton Dunn

Producer: Julia Webster

Executive producer: Priyanka Deladia 

Image: Shaun Parkinson, Getty

Clips: C-SPAN, US Central Command, Getty

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