Trump-Xi Summit Produces No Solution to the Strait Closure

(The Soufan Center) The Trump-Xi summit meetings in Beijing did not materially advance U.S. efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Absent an agreement with Iranian leaders, U.S. escalatory options to try to open the Strait against Iran’s will are fraught with risks and costs. U.S. military leaders express confidence that the Strait could be opened militarily if U.S. forces are ordered to do so, but the U.S. prefers non-kinetic steps to restore the traffic. The Gulf states and Iraq will embark on a long-term effort to reduce their vulnerability to Iranian closures of the Strait by developing alternate export routes. – Trump-Xi Summit Produces No Solution to the Strait Closure – The Soufan Center