Hormuz Crisis Raises Specter of Prolonged Closure

“Escalating Iranian attacks and the U.S. government’s decision to hold off on military escorts for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz are raising the prospect of a prolonged closure that would choke off exports through the world’s most important energy-transport route,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck three cargo ships attempting to transit the waterway, the only sea route out of the Persian Gulf. It warned that any other vessels trying to move through the strait also would be targeted.”

“Later on Wednesday night, in an incident far from the strait, two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were ablaze in Iraqi waters after being hit by projectiles.”

Axios: Iranian oil squeeze tests Trump’s war plans.