America Can Reopen the Strait – Here’s How

The Strait of Hormuz is at the center of the world’s attention, and you may be wondering what exactly the U.S. military is doing to reopen it and ratchet up the pressure on the Iranian regime. Let me fill in some gaps.

The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and how the Navy enforces it

I am a No Labels board member who spent 34 years in the U.S. Navy, led U.S. Pacific Command, and later served as Director of National Intelligence. I co-founded No Labels because I believe our greatest national threat is not a foreign adversary but the dysfunction at home that prevents us from dealing with those adversaries effectively. We can handle the military challenge from Iran, either on our own or, even better, through enhanced international cooperation.

Here is the current situation: The U.S. has placed a blockade on ships sailing to and from Iranian ports. That means whenever a Navy destroyer intercepts a ship coming from an Iranian port into the Gulf of Oman, on the way to delivering its cargo, we radio them, “You are not cleared to proceed. Turn around and return to port.” 

Most captains are smart enough to heed this warning and turn around. On Sunday, however, the U.S. Navy had to disable the Iranian-flagged cargo ship, Touska, by firing into its engine room. Marines from the 31^st Expeditionary Unit then rappelled down to the ship, secured the decks, and took custody of the crew, its cargo, and the ship.  

The United States military is more than capable of enforcing this blockade for a very long time, putting further pressure on the Iranian economy and military capabilities.

How to end IRGC activity in the Strait of Hormuz

As you likely know, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has also been harassing and limiting ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of this conflict. This harassment could end if the U.S. and Iran agree soon to a deal that ends hostilities. But if that does not happen, the U.S. has the capacity to forcibly reopen the Strait. Here is how it would work:

The steps

• We would gather the first convoy of, say, 20 oil tankers. We would put detachments of Navy sailors on those tankers to assist with defense against drone attacks and damage control in the case of drone or missile strikes.
• Six to 10 Navy destroyers would escort the convoy to intercept small boats, missiles, and drones that might attack it.
• The Navy and our allies would deploy specialized ships and underwater drones to clear mines from the route the convoy would take.
• We would have jets over the Strait and the Iranian coast, attack helicopters, and AC-130 gunships and artillery positioned in Oman, ready to counterattack the concealed firing positions of IRGC launches. Any Iranian missile or drone launcher or small boat would get off only a few shots before being destroyed.
• We would have raiding parties of special forces, Marines, and specialized Army units to neutralize observation and attack positions on the islands in the Strait that Iran occupies, as well as coves and caves along the Iranian coast that hide weapons.
• We would set up ship repair facilities outside of the Strait, so that any convoy tanker or escort that took a hit could be repaired and resume operations. 

Absorbing the punishment when necessary

Because of the short distances and difficult terrain, a small number of the weapons fired by IRGC forces would penetrate the layered convoy defenses, inflicting damage and some casualties. But the Navy combatants are tough, with good damage-control capabilities, and many of the tankers are huge, up to four times the size of an aircraft carrier. They do not sink from a few missiles, drones, and mines.

Following the first convoy described above would be follow-on convoys, with escorting forces adjusted as required. Because oil and other products from the Persian Gulf have worldwide destinations, and as the effectiveness of convoy operations is demonstrated, we would expect additional forces to join from NATO countries and other allies. There is a precedent: Last year, European navies joined the U.S. operations to protect shipping against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

As the convoys restored the flow of ships in and out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, over time, within weeks, oil and other products would be delivered, and prices could start to go down. As its attack forces were worn down, Iran’s leverage would diminish.

However, even in the best scenario for the U.S., forging a durable deal with the current Iranian regime will be hard. Look at the history going back decades: Every deal they have entered has been a temporary measure to buy time. They have barely followed the letter of any agreement they sign and have often violated its spirit.

How to make it last

There is no question that the U.S. military has the capacity to continue blockading Iran, forcefully opening the Strait of Hormuz, and keeping it open to international shipping.

Turning military success into long-term, stable, and secure economic conditions will require persistence and international cooperation to keep pressure on Iran and enforce agreements.

This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.