Trump Tells Oil Tanker Crews to 'Show Some Guts' Through Strait of Hormuz as Iran Conflict Sends Oil Prices Past $100

President Donald Trump has publicly urged commercial oil tanker operators to resume sailings through the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing mounting safety concerns as global crude prices surpassed $100 (approximately £77) per barrel for the first time in four years. The remarks, relayed by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on 'Fox & Friends' on Monday, 9 March, came as tanker traffic through the critical waterway had ground to a near-complete halt following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran's military installations under Operation Epic Fury.

Kilmeade recounted Trump's message directly, quoting the president as saying: 'These ships should go through the Strait of Hormuz and show some guts, there's nothing to be afraid of. [The Iranians] have no navy, we sunk all their ships.' Kilmeade added that Trump told him the region remained volatile but said Iran's ability to strike was severely diminished, with roughly 150 launchers remaining—approximately 20% of Iran's original capacity—and that Tehran could neither regenerate nor replace them quickly.

The Chokepoint Behind 20% of Global Oil Supply

The Strait of Hormuz, located on Iran's southern border, connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It ordinarily enables the flow of about 20% of global oil—roughly 15 million barrels of crude per day—along with liquefied natural gas shipments. Crude prices, which were trading in the mid-$60 (approximately mid-£46) range in the days before military operations began on 28 February, soared above $100 (approximately £77) a barrel for the first time since 2022.

The warnings and subsequent attacks on vessels caused tanker traffic to drop first by approximately 70%, with over 150 ships anchoring outside the strait to avoid risks, before traffic fell to near zero. Major shipping firms, including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have suspended operations in the area, with Hapag-Lloyd citing the safety and security of its crews.

Experts Push Back on Trump's Confidence

Despite Trump's assurances, shipping and energy experts have been far more cautious. Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at global shipping organisation BIMCO, acknowledged that 'naval escorts would help reduce the threat for the ships being protected,' but warned that 'providing protection for all tankers operating in areas currently threatened by Iran is unrealistic as this would require a very high number of warships and other military assets.'

Noam Raydan, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, explained the bind facing ship operators plainly: 'For a lot of ships, if they want to transit via Hormuz, they're going to be transiting without coverage, meaning if anything happens—a hit, an oil spill—it's on them.' Leading maritime insurers, including Norway's Gard and Skuld, Britain's NorthStandard, and the London P&I Club, have all scrapped war risk cover for vessels operating in the region, making the economic risk too high for ship owners to use the strait.

A key question raised by analysts is whether there are enough naval assets to both escort ships and continue operations against Iran. Earlier in the week, US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude prices surged 28% to above $86 (approximately £67) a barrel, while Wall Street analysts warned that global benchmark Brent could breach $100 per barrel if the waterway remained closed for a prolonged period—a threshold the commodity subsequently crossed, at which level oil prices could tip the global economy into a recession.

Political Pressure Builds at Home

The disruption has also triggered a domestic political response in the United States. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pushed Trump to immediately release oil via the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, saying: 'The Strategic Petroleum Reserve exists for moments exactly like this. Trump should release oil from the SPR now to stabilise markets, bring prices down, and stop the price shock that American families are already feeling.'

Trump has also moved to address the insurance crisis that has been a key driver of the shipping halt. He announced the US would 'immediately' offer 'political risk insurance and guarantees' for energy tankers and other ships in the Gulf region through the US Development Finance Corporation, at what he described as a 'very reasonable price.' However, analysts at Mizuho Bank noted that Trump's assurances 'only mitigate—but do not eliminate—enduring upside risks to oil prices,' adding that higher insurance costs alone could add between $5 and $15 (approximately £3.90 and £11.60) per barrel.

Energy experts warn that an extended conflict in Iran that locks up the Strait of Hormuz could keep oil prices above $100 per barrel, driving up petrol and energy prices globally. For the United Kingdom, the crisis carries direct consequences. The shipping disruption contributed to volatility in UK energy markets, with analysts warning that wholesale gas price increases could raise household energy bills and expose the country's reliance on global fuel markets. With no formal timeline for reopening the strait, the standoff between Washington's confidence and the maritime industry's caution shows no sign of breaking soon.