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Can the U.S. and Israel Stop Iran from Closing the Strait of Hormuz?
(Substack) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - Iran has threatened for years to close the Strait of Hormuz, the most important maritime energy chokepoint in the world. Now the regime appears to be trying. In recent days Iranian forces have attacked commercial shipping, deployed naval mines, and warned that the strait will remain closed as part of its confrontation with the U.S. and Israel. Can Iran actually close the strait and can the U.S. and its allies reopen it? Iran's maritime strategy in the strait relies heavily on fast attack boats designed for swarm tactics, sea mines, unmanned surface vessels and drones, shore-based anti-ship missile batteries, and coastal surveillance and targeting systems. To reopen the strait, the U.S. must first dismantle this network. The first phase of the response is already underway. U.S. Central Command reported that U.S. operations have destroyed 90 Iranian vessels, including more than 60 ships and over 30 mine-laying boats. Drone ships and unmanned maritime systems are being targeted. Fast attack boats are being eliminated. Mine stockpiles are being struck. Shore-based anti-ship missile batteries along Iran's coastline are being targeted. Once Iran's ability to disrupt traffic is sufficiently reduced, the U.S. would escort commercial vessels through the strait as soon as it becomes militarily feasible. This strategy has been used before. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Iranian forces struck oil tankers and laid naval mines throughout the Persian Gulf in an effort to disrupt maritime traffic and pressure Gulf states supporting Iraq. In response, President Ronald Reagan launched Operation Earnest Will in 1987 and began escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Gulf under U.S. naval protection in an operation that continued for more than a year. The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at West Point's Modern War Institute.