In early April ¡ª after a month of disruption around one of the world¡¯s most important energy chokepoints ¡ª U.S. President Donald Trump wrote that with "a little ?more time, we can easily OPEN THE ?HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A ?FORTUNE.¡±
Three weeks on, transiting through the Strait of Hormuz has instead become virtually impossible for the first time in history. Trump has imposed a U.S. blockade of Iran-linked ships, Tehran is using its "mosquito fleet¡± of gunboats to close down the waterway in response ¡ª and shipowners say a return to normal shipments is months away, at best.
Daily transits, already limited since the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, are now near zero. That compares to a peacetime average of around 135.
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