U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 10, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
A new internal assessment at the Pentagon warns that the Strait of Hormuz could remain closed for six months or more. But when asked about it, the Pentagon spokesperson said that's the worst that could happen and they're not really taking that time frame seriously.
“One of the core conundrums of this conflict is the Iranians have real leverage with this, and there’s not an obvious fix for it,” an intelligence official told CNN for a Friday report. That person was one of four sources that confirmed the assessment.
While the United States doesn't get its oil from Iran, many other countries do. Reducing the supply of oil on the market means the commodities go up, which is why gas prices are increasing even in the United States.
Officials in President Donald Trump's administration are desperately trying to figure out how to fix it after beginning a bombing campaign. There are questions about whether the administration took the Strait into consideration when crafting a plan.
CNN said that neither Trump nor Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth even knew about the assessment.
“One assessment does not mean the assessment is plausible, and it’s dangerous for the media to cherry pick the worst case scenario to scare the American people,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. “I have been present for every briefing on this matter, and the six month closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an impossibility and completely unacceptable to the Secretary of War. The Pentagon was well prepared for the Iranian regime's attempts to close the Strait, and we are working to address this challenge at the direction of the Commander in Chief.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that the president was "well prepared" for Iran shutting down the Strait, but Trump was forced to beg NATO allies to step in and help him out with it. Most of them refused. Even now, Japan has agreed to help the U.S., but only after the bombing stops.
Leavitt said that the military is more focused "on systematically eliminating the terrorist Iranian regime’s ability to disrupt the free flow of energy.”
CNN reported that the state of things changes on a daily basis. "The U.S. is in the third week of what the Pentagon promised would be only a four to six-week war. The U.S. continues to bomb to eliminate the short-range weaponry that Iran has. The other concern, however, is that while the Iranian Navy has been largely destroyed, the country still has options like targeting the tankers in the strait using "smaller craft, small submarines, and even jet skis," an official said.
"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary told CNN that something like that means the entire global economy collapses, even China.
As of publication, the Dow Jones had dropped 239 on Friday. Other global markets are similarly down. Crude oil futures were knocking on the door of $100 a barrel again, at over $98. That's up from $95.55 on Thursday.