US Energy Secretary: Strait of Hormuz to Be Reopened by This Summer at the Latest

Odaily reported that, according to The Hill in the United States, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated on Friday local time that the Strait of Hormuz will "be reopened sometime by this summer at the latest." Wright said the U.S. "continues to expand American natural gas exports," adding that despite the loss of 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas transport capacity per day due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. is still adding 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas export capacity daily. "Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will resume as soon as possible, but by this summer at the latest," Wright stated, subsequently adding that a related agreement could be reached as early as "within the next few days." Wright said that if Iran "continues to hold the global economy hostage," the U.S. military will "forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but this is not an easy thing to do," and "we have taken preliminary steps, but the better way is to reach an agreement rather than resorting to military force." (Jin Shi)