13/04/2026
The reason Trump’s counter-blockade in the Strait of Hormuz seems comically absurd is because it is born out of raw desperation. You see, Trump expected Europe and others to send their navies to reopen the Strait, figuring that those regions rely upon trade via the Strait more than we do. What he didn’t figure was how utterly intransigent the Euros and others would be to his pressure campaign. Once he realized that the Euros, Japanese, etc., were simply going to pay the Iranian toll to move their goods through the Strait rather than risk a war, Trump panicked, understanding too late in this affair how dreadfully exposed to the disruptions of Iran’s blockade the US economy was. Now, Trump is scrambling. Desperate to pressure the rest of the world into supporting his bid to reopen the Strait. He still doesn’t get it. Which is why he will keep getting this thing wrong.
~ Brandon Weichert