An Open Letter to Representative Jake Auchincloss on the 'Chokehold' of the Strait of Hormuz
Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), appearing on Bloomberg's "Balance of Power," recently expressed his "disbelief" regarding former President Trump's assertion that the Strait of Hormuz is "open." Auchincloss then claimed that Trump had somehow granted Iran a "strategic deterrent in chokehold control of the Strait," advising markets to disregard such statements. This framing, regrettably
amplified by Bloomberg, suggests an imminent Iranian closure of a vital international waterway, contradicting observed maritime activity. What Bloomberg's coverage, and specifically Representative Auchincloss's remarks, omit is the persistent US military presence that fundamentally dictates the operational reality in and around the Strait. The US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain,
maintains a substantial and continuous naval deployment in the Persian Gulf, including aircraft carrier strike groups and numerous warships. This deployment is precisely designed to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait. To portray Iran as possessing a "chokehold" ignores the decades of US strategic investment in maintaining this very openness, an investment amounting to trillions of
dollars and countless military operations since the 1980s. The narrative of Iranian dominance over Hormuz serves to justify further US military build-up and intervention, rather than reflect the actual state of affairs. Before the Islamic Revolution, from 1957 to 1979, the United States supplied Iran with advanced weaponry and military training, effectively making the Shah's regime a bulwark