Sullivan says only four ships crossed Hormuz in a day despite Trump's spending
The former national security adviser says Trump's push to keep the Strait of Hormuz open has produced little traffic at a high price.
Published
Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
Former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday that Iran's Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut despite Trump's claims of progress. Sullivan said Trump "keeps talking about how he's getting the Strait at least partially open," but that in the last 24 hours "something like four ships got through," which he said came "at the cost of billions of dollars and nearly."
The strait has seen repeated security incidents in recent days. Iran's IRGC Navy said it stopped the Togo-flagged tanker Trend after a fire broke out as it crossed the waterway, and warned that unauthorized vessels would be destroyed. UK Maritime Trade Operations separately reported a new incident 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, in a strait it has placed under a severe threat warning.
Trump told Axios this week that he is weighing a return to large-scale strikes on Iran, saying he is at a turning point in the conflict. He also told Axios he wants to discuss next steps on Iran with allies at the United Nations and has a major decision ahead.
Sullivan's account of just four ships moving through the strait in a day, despite what he described as a heavy financial toll, points up the gap between Trump's stated goal of keeping the passage open and the cost of doing so. With Trump weighing whether to escalate militarily or pursue talks at the UN, Sullivan's figure could weigh in favor of negotiation, though Trump has not committed to either path.