So here's a thing that happened: Senator Rick Scott, the Republican from Florida, went on the record with some pretty aggressive foreign policy ideas. In an interview, he floated the notion of blocking the Strait of Hormuz—you know, that little waterway where about a fifth of the world's oil passes through. And he didn't stop there. He added that if cutting off oil shipments to China wrecked their economy, well, that would be "a really wonderful day" for him.
Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci saw a clip of this and took to X with a simple, pointed question: "Is this AI?" Which, fair. It's the kind of comment that makes you do a double-take and check if someone's messing with a deepfake generator.
Rick Scott's Iran Remarks Spark Debate
Scott was talking to Semafor, and he made it clear he's all for tough U.S. action against Iran. His big worry? Tehran getting nukes. "I don't want to die by a nuclear weapon from Iran," he said, arguing that "appeasement of bullies" has never been a winning strategy. So far, so standard hawkish talk. But then he cranked it up a notch.
Senator Suggests Blocking Strait Of Hormuz, Targeting China
"I think blocking the Strait of Hormuz is fine from my standpoint," Scott said. That's a major escalation, given the strait's role as a global energy artery. And he tied it directly to China, suggesting that choking off oil could devastate their economy—something he'd apparently welcome. It's not every day you hear a U.S. senator openly rooting for another major power's economic collapse.
China Pushes Back As Tensions Rise
Unsurprisingly, China isn't thrilled. President Xi Jinping, speaking at diplomatic meetings this week, warned that the global order is "crumbling into disarray" and cautioned against fueling more conflicts. Chinese officials also slammed the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports as "dangerous and irresponsible." A foreign ministry spokesperson said beefing up the U.S. military presence in the region could undermine a fragile ceasefire and called for everyone to work toward a "comprehensive ceasefire" instead.
Trump Warnings, Ongoing Blockade Add Pressure
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is piling on. He's warned Beijing of "big problems" if it supports Iran and threatened steep tariffs. China, for its part, denies supplying weapons to Tehran, calling those claims "completely fabricated." Despite the U.S. blockade being in effect, reports say some sanctioned tankers are still sneaking through the strait. Any serious disruption there could send shockwaves through energy markets worldwide, given how much oil flows through that narrow passage.
Oil Mixed, Brent Up As Gas And Fuel Slip
Speaking of markets, crude oil was showing mixed signals in early trading. May crude oil futures were at $91.24, down a tiny 0.04% as of 12:30:04 a.m. EDT, while June contracts edged up 0.22% to $88.38. Brent crude, the global benchmark, climbed 0.51% to $95.27. On the flip side, natural gas slipped 0.19% to $2.594, and RBOB gasoline declined 0.29% to $3.0308. So, some up, some down—traders seem to be weighing the risks without going into full panic mode yet.
