Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz isn’t as simple as Trump thinks episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 18, 2026 · 19 MIN

Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz isn’t as simple as Trump thinks

from This Is Why

End the war, get the oil tankers moving, and the world’s economy returns to normal. It sounds easy. It really isn’t. Donald Trump and the Iranian regime have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the hopes of bringing the four-month conflict to an end. But the key objective of allowing global shipping to pass freely through the currently Iran controlled Strait of Hormuz is far less straightforward than it may appear. From the threat of minefields to a change of heart over military action, it could take months – if not longer – for the region to return to normal. Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's military analyst Sean Bell. Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: [email protected]

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 18, 2026

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Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz isn’t as simple as Trump thinks

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