Ben Shapiro: “The president knows that the Strait of Hormuz, if left in Iranian control, would allow for the Iranian government to rebuild and strengthen”
Shapiro: “What is the most likely scenario here? Probably major action to reopen the strait, to grab Kharg Island, to throttle the Iranian regime by cutting off its lifelines of the global economy.”
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Citation
From the March 31, 2026, edition of The Daily Wire's The Ben Shapiro Show
BEN SHAPIRO (HOST): Well, reports are now suggesting that perhaps President Trump would be willing to end the war without actually opening the Strait of Hormuz and instead just leave it to the Europeans. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump told aides he's willing to end the US military campaign against Iran even if the strait remains largely closed, according to administration officials, likely extending Tehran's firm grip on the waterway and leaving a complex operation to reopen it for a later date. In recent days, according to the Journal, Trump and his aids assessed a mission to pry open the choke point would push the conflict beyond his timeline of four to six weeks. He decided that the United States should achieve its main goals of hobbling Iran's navy and missile stocks, wind down current hostilities, and pressure Tehran diplomatically. And if that failed, then Washington would press allies in Europe and the Gulf to take the lead on reopening the strait.
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Now again, on principle, he's not wrong, but the reality is that's unlikely to happen. The president knows that the Strait of Hormuz, if left in Iranian control, would allow for the Iranian government to rebuild and strengthen. And let's be real about this — the whores of Europe, meaning the leadership class over there, would basically just try to bribe the Iranians. Hell, they might build them a nuclear facility just to allow the oil to move through. These are the same Europeans who are happy to use Russian oil while simultaneously claiming the United States ought to defend Ukraine.
So what is the most likely scenario here? Probably major action to reopen the strait, to grab Kharg Island, to throttle the Iranian regime by cutting off its lifelines of the global economy. Because, again, let's be real — the Iranian economy is nonexistent. And if the oil flow goes away, they can't pay their boys. All of their IRGC and Basij friends are going to go without paychecks.