Iran’s remaining weapons: How Tehran can still disrupt the Strait of Hormuz
Iran still has a range of weapons capable of threatening one of the world’s most critical oil choke points — even after U.S.–Israeli strikes targeting its military and capabilities. From...
By Fox News · Fox News
Iran still has a range of weapons capable of threatening one of the world’s most critical oil choke points — even after U.S.–Israeli strikes targeting its military and capabilities. From naval mines and anti-ship missiles to drones and fast attack boats, Iran retains enough asymmetric capability to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz without fully shutting it down. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply moves through the Strait, and analysts say Iran does not need to block it outright to have a global impact. Even a limited mix of those capabilities — mines in key shipping lanes, a handful of anti-ship missiles or harassment from fast boats — can be enough to raise risk, slow traffic and drive up energy prices across the globe. IRAN DEPLOYS EXPLOSIVE ‘SUICIDE SKIFFS’ DISGUISED AS FISHING BOATS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Shipping through the strait already has slowed in recent weeks, pushing oil prices higher worldwide and forcing most vessels to avoid the route, with knock-on effects on fuel costs and global supply chains. The mounting risk to global oil flows also comes as President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Iran to reopen the strait Friday, issuing a 48-hour ultimatum threatening strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure if shipping was not restored. Days later, however, Trump backed off that deadline, pausing potential strikes amid what he described as "productive" discussions — highlighting the uncertainty over how far Washington is willing to go to restore shipping. "It doesn’t take much to disrupt commercial traffic through a constrained maritime choke point," former U.S. 5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan told Fox News Digital, pointing to recent disruptions in the Red Sea as an example of how even limited capabilities can slow or halt shipping. For commercial shippers, even a small risk of disaster is too much. "You might just end up getting hit by an Iranian drone. You might end up being hit by Iranian anti-ship cruise missile or you…