President Donald J. Trump’s unyielding quest for American energy supremacy has “prepared the U.S. and its allies for the current troubles in the Persian Gulf,” observes Kimberley Strassel in The Wall Street Journal.
“The Democratic-media complex appears intent on misreading the situation regarding Iran, with this week’s effort to pin the blame for a global energy crisis on the Trump administration being a particularly egregious example. This narrative is not only misguided but also comes alarmingly late to the party, as concerns over energy security are three years overdue.
The critics, who often seem to relish in undermining American interests, have labeled Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as an ‘oil shock’ that is ‘spiraling,’ ‘chaotic,’ and ‘the worst in history.’ It seems lost on them that Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels are further justification for U.S. military action. For decades, Iran has wielded energy threats like a chess piece, manipulating geopolitical dynamics, and it won’t relinquish this strategy until it is effectively neutralized.
Blame has been directed at the administration, particularly targeting Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, with Politico branding them a ‘vaunted’ duo ‘at risk of bungling the largest energy crisis’ of Trump’s second term. The go-to voice of dissent comes from Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who lamented, ‘On the Strait of Hormuz, they had NO PLAN. . . . Which is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100% foreseeable.’
Now, let’s deliberate on this notion of planning. The reality is that the U.S. has been positioned to counter Iran effectively, thanks largely to a strategic initiative that Mr. Trump set in motion during his first term—achieving energy independence, which has now evolved into a drive for energy dominance. Trump’s policies ignited a shale revolution that transformed the U.S. into a net exporter of petroleum products and the leading global exporter of natural gas. Alongside this, Mr. Trump’s strategy to forge economic and security partnerships in the region, as exemplified by the Abraham Accords, was aimed at countering shared threats like Iran.
Consequently, we are no longer held hostage by Middle Eastern fossil fuel vulnerabilities, allowing us the capacity to navigate temporary disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz with relative ease.”
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