The US is reportedly trying to rally countries to join an international coalition to re-open the strait. [Getty]
Fears that the US could resume its war against Iran mounted on Thursday after a report that the Pentagon will brief President Donald Trump on military options as the standoff with Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz continues.
Trump warned that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports could last for months, sending oil prices surging to four-year highs as hopes for a deal to reopen the vital shipping route faded.
US news site Axios reported that the Pentagon has drawn up plans to resume the war in a bid to force Iran to the negotiating table, which could include “short and powerful” strikes against Iranian infrastructure, officials said.
Military chiefs are expected to brief the president on his options later on Thursday.
Iran has refused to loosen its grip over the strait until the US lifts the blockade, which Trump has refused to do until a peace deal is reached. Tehran has vowed a full-scale military response across the region if the US and Israel resume the war.
Despite this, US military planners appear to believe that further military pressure could force Tehran to the negotiating table, and the briefing suggests that Trump is seriously considering renewed attacks.
Two sources said the US president believes the blockade will eventually force Iran to make concessions, but would consider military action if it refuses to back down.
The developments sent oil prices surging to their highest levels since 2022 as fears increased that the strategic waterway could remain shuttered for weeks, deepening the global energy crisis.
The strait – which before the war carried a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas – has now been closed for almost 10 weeks, triggering what the International Energy Agency has described as the worst energy crisis in history.
The US Navy has prevented dozens of tankers laden with Iranian oil from leaving the region in recent weeks. Though more than two-dozen vessels are believed to have evaded the cordon, Iran’s oil industry could be forced in the coming weeks to begin shutting down production as storage nears capacity.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the US is attempting to rally countries to join an international coalition to reopen the strait, just a few weeks after Trump castigated NATO allies for refusing to join the war.
The UK, France and more than 30 other countries have discussed a plan to establish a maritime task force to ensure the strait remains open to international shipping, but have ruled out deploying their navies to the Gulf until the war ends.
Iran has shown little sign of backing down under the pressure. President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday called the blockade “doomed to fail” while Mohsen Rezaei, a hardline veteran of the Revolutionary Guard, vowed to respond if it remains in place.
The standoff comes despite efforts by Pakistan to arrange new negotiations. Neither side has been willing to meet for talks in Islamabad since the first round ended without agreement earlier this month.
