US naval blockade to beat Iran's Hormuz blockade. How it's meant to work.

The video explains what looks like another bizarre strategy from Trump. It's not as mad as it first looks to give him credit (which I hate to do!). Frank Gardiner is one of the BBC's best reporters and he explains things really clearly in the video.

Many commentators were and are flummoxed by the US strategy. But the idea is to force Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz by harming the country economically.

However, it is a very dangerous strategy, high risk and it might and quite possibly will backfire mainly because China will be forced to become directly involved as it gets a lot of its oil from Iran. 

And what if a Chinese ship is boarded or fired upon by a US warship? This might end up with US fighting China as well as Iran.

News:

Update (written by AI on my strict instructions): Iran’s response to the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has been swift and deliberately unsettling. Within hours of Washington’s move, senior Iranian commanders warned that if the U.S. tries to choke Iran’s economy at its own front door, Tehran will answer by turning off the lights somewhere far more globally painful: the Red Sea.

The message was blunt. If America blocks Hormuz, Iran will “block all trade” through the Red Sea and, by extension, the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait — the narrow funnel that feeds the Suez Canal. It’s not an idle threat. Iran has spent years building the capability to project power far beyond its coastline, using a mix of naval assets, drones, and regional partners who can strike shipping lanes with deniable force. The point is simple: if Iran’s exports stop, everyone’s exports stop.

A Red Sea shutdown would be a gut punch to the global economy. Around a tenth of world trade moves through that corridor. Europe’s supply chains depend on it. Gulf oil heading west depends on it. Container ships already reroute at the first hint of trouble; a declared Iranian blockade would turn a strategic headache into a full‑blown crisis.

This is Iran signalling that the U.S. cannot isolate the conflict to one waterway. Close Hormuz, and Tehran will widen the battlefield to a second chokepoint — one that drags in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Europe, and every shipping insurer on the planet. It’s escalation by geography, and Iran knows exactly how much leverage that buys.

What would happen if the US bombed/shelled an Iranian ship carrying oil owned by China and destined for China. China owns the oil but not the sip? Chaos I'd say. And China won't be happy.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.