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2026-05-06 09:25:57
【US-Iran Strait of Hormuz Standoff: “Chicken Game” and “Freedom Plan”】 (1) Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark said that the US and Iran are locked in a “chicken game” in the Strait of Hormuz, after a fragile ceasefire that has lasted for several weeks. He pointed out that the US is trying to open the strait and force Iran to play the “bad role” while both sides are still working on negotiations. Clark emphasized that this is not simply a matter of diplomacy or gunboat operations, but both. (2) Clark said that the current situation is neither war nor peace, and the essence of the conflict is “restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”. The US does not accept Iran’s control of the strait. He mentioned that the US has sent two destroyers and several merchant ships through the strait as its first negotiating position, and the next step will be to combine force and diplomacy. (3) On Monday, two US cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the few merchant ships to pass through since Iran closed the strait. Defense Secretary Hergesses announced the "Freedom Project," claiming that hundreds of ships were ready to pass under the protection of the "Red, White and Blue Dome," and that two US merchant ships and a destroyer had passed safely, proving that the waterway was open. (4) Hergesses also said that the US naval blockade on Monday successfully blocked six Iranian ships, and on the same day, Iranian forces fired on US ships and merchant ships and warned them not to challenge their control, but the ceasefire agreement remained in effect. (5) Retired four-star general Jack Keane responded to the exchange of fire by saying that the continued conflict was "inevitable," and the priority was still to open the strait, adding that selective strikes could be carried out on key targets if Iran continued to violate the ceasefire. (6) The US has made the reopening of the strait a prerequisite for ending the conflict, and has already disrupted about 20% of global oil and gas transportation, causing global prices to rise. German company Hapag-Lloyd said on Tuesday that its cargo ships "could not" pass through the strait, and the risk assessment remained unchanged.
