Washington — Chevron’s chief executive said it’s likely that the U.S. Navy may need to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz once it reopens in order to ensure a level of security.
The standoff over the strait has intensified amid Iran’s threats against the critical channel and a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, effectively closing it. The tensions have led to several maritime incidents in recent days.
Asked Thursday by “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan what Chevron would need to see to feel confident to send a ship through the strait, CEO Mike Wirth said, “we’d have to believe that our people on the ship will be safe, the cargo will be safe, and they can be transited with with a high degree of confidence.”
Wirth said the decision would be made “in collaboration” with the U.S. Navy and other military organizations around the world.
“I think in the early days, it’s very likely that you could see naval escorts, because I think some of the risks are not just mines that could be placed in the strait, but they could be also risks that could come from the land in other forms,” Wirth said. “So I think having the Navy with those ships that make the first transit would provide a higher degree of confidence than if there were to be something [that] happened, that you’d have some measure of defense.”
Since the start of the war, President Trump has sent conflicting messages about securing the key waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil travels through. On Thursday, Mr. Trump said U.S. minesweepers were clearing the strait and directed the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats placing mines in the strait.
Watch more of the interview Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
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