Trump Administration Escalates Hormuz Standoff as Oil Surges Past $115

Oil prices are spiking past $115 just as the Trump administration signals a potential military shift in one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington will “retake control” of the Strait of Hormuz over time and may deploy U.S. or multinational escorts to secure shipping lanes, according to Reuters and Investing.com.

The comments come as Iran’s partial closure of the strait disrupts roughly 20% of global oil flows and pushes markets into a supply deficit estimated at up to 12 million barrels per day.

At the same time, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure if the waterway is not reopened, escalating pressure on Tehran as crude prices surge, according to Business Insider.

The tension highlights a growing gap between administration assurances that markets are “well supplied” and real-time price spikes hitting global consumers.

What remains unclear is how quickly the U.S. could move from rhetoric to military enforcement and whether that step would stabilize markets or trigger a wider escalation.

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