WSJ: Trump is ready to end the war against Iran even without opening the Strait of Hormuz

The US President Donald Trump has told his aides that he is ready to end military action against Iran, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed.

This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing administration representatives.

In recent days, the US president and his aides have concluded that attempting to reopen this narrow sea corridor would prolong the conflict beyond his planned 4-6 week period.

Therefore, Trump decided that the US should focus on its main goals — weakening the Iranian navy and reducing its missile arsenal, and then winding down the current hostilities, while simultaneously applying diplomatic pressure on Tehran to restore free navigation.

If that fails, officials say, Washington will insist that allies in Europe and the Gulf countries take the initiative in opening the strait.

Sources also say that Trump may consider military options, but they are not his top priority.

The WSJ adds that if the war ends without the Strait of Hormuz being opened, Iran will likely strengthen its control over the waterway, and the complex operation to unblock it will be postponed until later.

War in the Middle East

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials. A new ayatollah was elected on March 8, and he was Mojtaba Khamenei (the son of the deceased Ali Khamenei).

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, has begun shelling US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE and firing missiles at Israel. Some Iranian drones and missiles have hit infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries.

The war has halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. About a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports pass through it, tens of millions of barrels a day. Markets reacted immediately, sending oil, gas and precious metals soaring in price.

In particular, on March 9, world oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel for the first time in almost four years. On March 30, the price of Brent crude oil was already over $115 per barrel, and WTI was $101.4.

To keep prices down, the International Energy Agency has decided to release 400 million barrels of oil, and the US plans to release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve. On March 12, the US lifted sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil that was stuck at sea for 30 days, and a week later it gave permission for Iranian oil.

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