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Global crude ripped through the psychological $100 barrier this week, with Brent surging above $103 per barrel and the U.S. benchmark briefly nudging $100 as Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz choked off normal tanker traffic and markets braced for prolonged disruption. The sudden spike is no accident — Tehran’s threats and attacks on commercial shipping have turned a narrow waterway into a geopolitical flashpoint that directly hits American pocketbooks and the global supply chain. Americans who pay at the pump know this pain is real and rising.
President Trump publicly demanded that a coalition of nations — roughly seven countries he named or implied — step up and send warships to police the strait, arguing the free flow of energy is a global interest that must be defended. He made clear the United States would not quietly accept a situation in which a hostile regime can hold the world’s economy for ransom, and signaled U.S. naval escorts would move to protect tankers if others would not. That is decisive leadership in a moment when the world needs action, not lectures.
So far, the response from supposed allies has been weak and hesitant: no public, firm commitments to put warships into the shooting gallery that the Iranians have created. Tokyo, Canberra and several European capitals have bluntly said they are not planning to dispatch naval vessels to escort tankers, and Brussels said it had little appetite to expand existing missions into the Hormuz choke point. When friends watch from the sidelines while American lives and global commerce are endangered, it exposes the limits of platitudes about partnership.
Let’s be honest about what this reveals: decades of lecturing our allies and lecturing our adversaries left the United States with fewer dependable partners in a crisis we did not start. If countries want the benefits of American security in peacetime, they ought to be ready to answer the call in wartime — not treat our request like an optional favor. This isn’t just diplomatic failure; it’s a moral and strategic one, and everyday Americans will pay the bill at the pump unless we act.
The international energy community has tried to blunt the shock with an unprecedented coordinated release of emergency oil reserves, with the IEA coordinating a record 400 million barrel release to calm markets and buy time while shipping routes remain perilous. That effort will help, but it is a stopgap — not a substitute for securing the choke points that keep global commerce moving. The era of depending on foreign goodwill to protect American energy security must end.
Meanwhile, the United States has not sat idle: U.S. forces have struck Iranian facilities tied to the disruption and moved to protect maritime traffic, and plans for direct escort operations have been publicly floated as Tehran doubles down on aggression. That kind of muscle, backed by conviction, is what deters further escalation and demonstrates to foes that America will defend its interests. If our commander-in-chief is prepared to act where others will not, patriots should stand behind him.
Hardworking Americans want two things in this crisis: secure seas and affordable energy. Washington should use this moment to accelerate domestic energy production, rebuild strategic stockpiles on American soil, and demand hardened commitments from allies who enjoy the spoils of security but balk at the cost of providing it. Stand with strength at home and abroad, support decisive leadership, and remember that national resilience is the only true insurance against foreign blackmail.
