Key Points
- President Trump claims Iran’s military is “100% destroyed” and “totally decapitated.”
- Despite claims, Trump warns of persistent drone and sea mine threats.
- Vital shipping traffic has plummeted 90% due to the maritime blockade.
- Closure of the key waterway threatens a massive global inflationary spike.
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has announced a significant escalation in military posture in the Middle East, pledging to force open the Strait of Hormuz through a combination of shoreline bombardment and international naval intervention.
In a post on his platform, Truth Social, the US President stated that the US would begin “bombing the hell out of the shoreline” and “continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water” to end what he termed an “artificial constraint” on global trade.
Calls for int’l naval coalition
Despite the U President’s claim that many countries “will be sending War Ships,” he provided no specific details on which nations have formally committed to a joint task force. He specifically called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom — nations heavily reliant on the energy corridor — to deploy their own assets to the region.
The move comes as the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil and LNG, faces a near-total shutdown. Shipping data from Kpler indicates that traffic through the waterway has plummeted by 90 per cent as of early March, following a series of drone strikes and mine threats.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 14, 2026
Contradictory assessment
The US President offered a conflicting assessment of the security situation. While claiming that the US has “destroyed 100 per cent of Iran’s Military capability” and that the nation has been “totally decapitated,” he simultaneously warned that the threat remains potent.
“It’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile… no matter how badly defeated they are,” Trump wrote.
This acknowledgement suggests that despite heavy US strikes, the “asymmetric” capabilities of Iranian forces continue to paralyse global commerce. Major shipping firms, including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have already suspended operations in the area, citing the high risk to vessels and crew.
Global economic fallout
The effectively closed waterway is a primary concern for the international community. For Asian and European markets, the disruption of a fifth of the world’s energy supply threatens to trigger a global inflationary spike.
While the US administration insists the Strait will soon be “OPEN, SAFE, and FREE,” the prospect of sustained shoreline bombing and naval skirmishes suggests a period of heightened volatility rather than an immediate return to stability.
