U.S. Kicks Off Battle to Reopen Hormuz

Wall Street Journal: “The U.S. and its allies have intensified the battle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sending low-flying attack jets over the sea lanes to blast Iranian naval vessels and Apache helicopters to shoot down Iran’s deadly drones, American military officials said.”

“The stepped-up operation is part of a multistage Pentagon plan to reduce the danger from Iranian armed boats, mines and cruise missiles, which have halted ship traffic through the waterway since early March. If the danger can be reduced, the U.S. could send U.S. warships through the strait and eventually escort vessels in and out of the Persian Gulf.”

“But it will still likely take weeks for the U.S. to clear out Iran’s web of assets that have harassed traffic through a chokepoint for 20% of the world’s oil exports and a large amount of commercial shipping traffic.”