US Energy Secretary: Strait of Hormuz to Reopen by Summer at the Latest

According to a report by The Hill, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated on Friday local time that the Strait of Hormuz will "reopen sometime by this summer at the latest." Wright said the US is "continuing to expand US natural gas exports," noting that despite the daily loss of 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas transport capacity due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the US is still adding 2.5 billion cubic feet per day in natural gas export capacity. "Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will resume as soon as possible, but at the latest by this summer," Wright said, adding that a related agreement could be reached as early as "within the next few days." Wright stated that if Iran "continues to hold the global economy hostage," the US military will "forcefully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but this is not an easy thing to do," adding that "preliminary steps have been taken, but a better approach is to reach an agreement rather than resort to military force." (Jinshi)