Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin dropped a reality check on Monday: Yes, the U.S. Navy could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but keeping it open? That's a whole different ballgame—and one that requires a team effort.
"Certainly, the United States Navy could open the Strait of Hormuz," Austin, who served under former President Joe Biden, told Bloomberg at the HSBC Gulf Cooperation Council Exchanges Conference in London. "Holding it open for a long period of time would be pretty costly and so we'd like to see an international effort, if that's the case."
Austin emphasized that freedom of navigation isn't just a U.S. concern—it matters to the "entire globe."
The comments come as President Donald Trump has been publicly pressing foreign governments, including South Korea, Japan, and Germany, to step up and help reopen the waterway. The Strait of Hormuz has been largely closed to commercial traffic since March, choking off oil and fuel shipments from the Middle East. Under normal conditions, the waterway carries about one-fifth of global oil and petroleum-product consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Austin, now a national security consultant, said he's hoping the current ceasefire holds long enough for meaningful negotiations. "We would like to see this ceasefire hold, so that we can get negotiations completed and then we can get the strait open again," he said. "It's important to not only the United States but the entire global economy. And so, the sooner we can do that, the better."
The disruption has already sent shockwaves through shipping markets and pushed U.S. fuel costs higher. AAA listed the national average for regular gasoline at about $4.16 on Tuesday, while California drivers are still paying more than $5 a gallon. Oil prices remain elevated too: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $88.20 per barrel, while Brent crude edged down 0.32% to $91.16 per barrel.
Trump said both pilots were rescued near Oman and promised a "very strong" response. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) criticized Trump's handling of the conflict, arguing the administration is not in control as inflation and shipping costs rise.
The bottom line: The Strait of Hormuz is a global chokepoint, and the U.S. can't—and shouldn't—go it alone. As Austin put it, the sooner the strait reopens, the better for everyone.
