The US President, Donald Trump, is using his "fire and fury" rhetoric to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and prevent an oil crisis caused by his war with Iran. This strategy, which includes the possibility of Navy warships escorting tankers through the critical waterway, or even a U.S. takeover of the area, has not yet led to significant action. However, Jon Hoffman, a research fellow in defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute, said that any military operation involving the U.K. would put the U., military, directly in harm's way at a time when the United States is already trying to repel Iranian attacks across the region. Since the U.-S. and Israel began their attacks on Iran over a week ago, Iran has closed the strait and warned that any ship attempting to pass through would be attacked. The Strait of Haormuz is one of the world’s most important chokepoints in seaborne shipping.