As the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports drags on, thousands of seafarers are stranded on ships, and economic shockwaves ripple around the world.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
President Trump says he is prepared to wait for the best deal to end his war with Iran. But he has also ordered the U.S. military to, quote, “shoot and kill any boat” trying to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. In a few minutes, we’ll speak with John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration. But we turn first to how shipping through the strategic waterway is virtually at a standstill over fears of Iranian mines and attacks on ships. The crisis is driving up prices and shortages of valuable commodities worldwide. NPR international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam has been following all this, and she’s with us now to bring us up to date. Good morning, Jackie.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Morning, Michel.
MARTIN: OK. So President Trump is ordering the U.S. Navy to target any ship, presumably from Iran, that’s laying mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz. How big a problem are mines?
NORTHAM: Well, you know, there are no reliable figures as to how many mines are in and around the Strait of Hormuz. There’s one school of thought that there may not be as many as Iran is letting on, and there’s also the chance that Iran doesn’t know where all the mines are. So it’s tough to say exactly what’s out there. But, you know, it’s an incredibly slow and dangerous process to clear the mines under the possible threat of attack. And in fact, The Washington Post reported that a Pentagon assessment shared with Congress on Tuesday said it could take up to six months to fully clear the strait of mines and that the operation wouldn’t likely start until the war ends. Now, Michel, NPR has not been able to independently verify that intelligence assessment, and President Trump disputed it. He said in a social media post that U.S. minesweepers were already clearing the strait.
MARTIN: What kind of impact are the threat of mines and the threat of attacks by Iran having on the hundreds of ships that have been stuck around the Strait of Hormuz since the end of February? Are they still trying to move?
NORTHAM: Well, we’ve seen just a trickle of ships trying to transit the strait since the beginning of the war, mostly with links to Iran. But, you know, after three ships were attacked with gunfire by Iran earlier this week and two of those were seized, it’s having a chilling effect. It’s just very risky, even if they’re not moving Iranian oil. I spoke with Basil Karatzas who heads up Karatzas Marine Advisors, and he says it’s a lucrative business for oil tankers to go to the Gulf, but not if they’re getting stuck. And many are choosing other routes now. Here he is.
BASIL KARATZAS: There are a substantial number of tanker ship owners, but they keep their vessels away from Middle East. They would rather do a conventional trade. That’s money in the bank and without having to worry about the Middle East, Hormuz, whether they’re open or closing or whatever.
NORTHAM: And, you know, Michel, beyond oil, there are things like helium and fertilizer, aluminum, you know, critical elements for industry and farming and the like that are not moving through the Gulf now. And this is causing shortages worldwide and, of course, driving up the cost. And let’s not forget the 20,000 seafarers who have been stuck on these ships since the beginning, and there’s no sign of that changing soon.
MARTIN: Wow. So President Trump earlier this week announced he would extend the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely. Is there any sign of a breakthrough in this war?
NORTHAM: At the moment, it feels like a stalemate with, you know, some incremental developments. Certainly, these attacks on the ships by Iran are complicating the ceasefire. You know, the U.K. has been hosting military talks with other nations, such as France, to see if they can help out with the situation, but nothing has really come of these, primarily because they want to wait until the war is over. And in the meantime, you have Israel’s defense minister said yesterday the country is waiting for the green light from Trump to push, quote, “Iran back to the Stone Age.”
MARTIN: That is NPR’s Jackie Northam. Jackie, thank you.
NORTHAM: Many thanks, Michel.
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