President Donald Trump's former counterterrorism chief, Joe Kent, is cheering the decision to suspend strikes on Iran, saying it could be the opening needed to get ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz again.

Why Military Force Won't Work in the Strait of Hormuz

In a post on X on Sunday, Kent called the move a "good decision," noting that "Iran will not simply return" to the pre-war status quo in the strait. He also said it's clear Trump wants out of the Iran war.

"We need to accept that we can’t use military force to open the SOH [Strait of Hormuz] (we’ve tried that) without a catastrophic escalation into a bloody, years-long war," Kent wrote.

His prescription? Pull U.S. troops out of the region. Kent said Trump "can declare victory" by sticking to the goal of preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Then, with troops "out of harm’s way," Trump can "quietly use the carrot of sanctions relief" to reopen the strait. Staying, he warned, risks "accelerating an escalation/retaliation cycle" that the U.S. can't control.

The Strait of Hormuz is a big deal for global oil. Before the war started in February, it handled over a fifth of the world's total oil supply, moving roughly 20 million barrels a day. So any disruption there sends ripples through the entire energy market.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthis have been striking Saudi assets along the Red Sea coast, adding more strain on oil and, ultimately, gas prices. Patrick De Haan, an analyst at GasBuddy, said de-escalation between the U.S. and Iran is the only way consumers will see relief at the pump.

Oil Falls Despite Shipping Incident

On Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported an incident about 23 miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, where an explosion was heard near a vessel. The vessel and crew were safe, UKMTO said.

Despite that, oil prices took a dive after Trump's announcement. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 5.78% to $79.78/bbl, and Brent crude dropped 4.73% to $83.77/bbl at press time.

Gas prices also eased, with the national average at $4.0950/gallon on Monday, according to AAA. California, though, saw a slight uptick, with the average at $5.6590/gallon, up from Sunday's $5.6550.

The United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 5.76% to $121.74 in premarket trading on Monday.