Posted on 03/14/2026 3:56:08 PM PDT by lasereye
The U.S. military devastated the military installations on Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil transport facility, but left the oil infrastructure alone. President Trump threatened to blow up the oil facilities, too:
“The United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump said in a statement Friday evening, referring to an island in the Persian Gulf where most of Iran’s oil is processed.
“I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
Now, as if a few hours ago, Iran says the Strait is back open:
Iran said Saturday all countries except for the US and Israel may pass through the Strait of Hormuz.“As a matter of fact, this strait of Hormuz is open,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. ***
He spoke after President Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s oil infrastructure on its Kharg Island energy hub — through which 90% of its oil exports pass — if it refuses to allow safe passage.
“It is only closed to the tankers and ships belong[ing] to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass,” Araghchi told MS NOW.
So he was talking to an allied media outlet.
I take this news with a major grain of salt. It is hard to say, these days, who if anyone can speak for Iran’s military. But if it is real, it is good news. The U.S. has no need of Hormuz, nor, as far as I know, does Israel. Oil passing through the Strait is mostly bound for China and other places in Asia. Perhaps the Chinese leaned on someone in Iran.
In any event, if this news is real, it may help to moderate the price of oil. As President Trump points out, the U.S. is a huge producer and seller of oil, so a high price can benefit us. Nevertheless, we want the global petroleum price to come down.
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Let’s pray it is true
This is probably a dumb question but I’m going to ask it anyway. How difficult would it be to get rid of the peninsula that everyone has to go around, and turn the strait into the Wide of Hormuz?
Except for those pesky mines they’ve been laying - if they have in fact been laying them.
You have asked a logical question. Not often permitted here anymore. Rhetorical, yes. Logical, no.
ALL weapons and those who use them that could be used by Iran to close the Strait need to be eliminated immediately.
There is no evidence that the strait has been mined.
Iran could destroy the oil infrastructure itself
Just bomb the hell out of them every 3 months for a weekend until we get the government we want. Call it a training exercise.
China needs the Strait to be open. Iran cannot keep it closed for too long.
> How difficult would it be to get rid of the peninsula that everyone has to go around, and turn the strait into the Wide of Hormuz?
Better ask Oman. It’s their country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz
The Iranians announced, via their Foreign Office, that all ships would be allowed to pass, except US and Israeli. I would take this with a grain of salt as they are habitual liars.
“Iran says the Strait is back open”
Who in Iran said this?
Apparently Iran and the USA are allowing tankers bound for Chinahh to freely pass.
Either way, with today’s technology (and even yesterday’s technology), there needs to be infrastructure and ability constructed to not *have* to use this as the only way to get things out of that area.
Even with zero bad actors causing disruptions, unforeseen disasters could cause it to be impassable. So what then? We should not have to find that out.
It is kind of ridiculous not just the US, but the world at large, has done nothing for rectifying this all of these decades.
Show me the mines!!
Some dead Ayotollah.
The article quotes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying it.
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