After Iran repeatedly threatened and closed access to international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration decided to retaliate through a blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf. At CNBC, CERL Affiliated Faculty Member Michael Horowitz states that free access to the strait is now a critical component of the American agenda for ending the war, and that this tactic of preventing Iran from getting money from shipping their oil through the Persian Gulf is an attempt to extract more concessions from Iran. 

Michael C. Horowitz is Director of Perry World House and Richard Perry Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of CERL’s Affiliated Faculty. Read his bio here.     

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.