Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York has expressed optimism about the Iran war over the past few days, despite previous reservations.
“I mean, the thing that was frustrating to me is, of course, about the war is that I thought that the goal of the war should always have been, and it was, to deny Iran a nuclear weapon,” York said on The Hugh Hewitt Show Tuesday.
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York said that the goal of blocking the Islamic Republic from obtaining such a weapon had already been accomplished. However, the conflict took an unexpected turn after Iran claimed the Strait of Hormuz, creating an entirely new issue, as it is a critical global trading waterway for oil in the Middle East.
“The United States is slowly but surely opening up the Strait of Hormuz,” York said.
After the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on nuclear and military sites, Iran asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz in February, planting mines and attacking vessels that tried to enter. President Donald Trump and his administration have spent months trying various tactics to reopen the waterway, including negotiations, ceasefires, ballistic attacks, and a blockade.
York said that despite the obstacles, millions of barrels of oil and vessels are still being transported through other routes, either through different waterways or pipelines.
“When that becomes pretty stabilized, where is Iran now?” York said. “Basically, the Iranian regime is dead, they just don’t know it yet.”
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In the meantime, oil prices have skyrocketed across the U.S. as consumers feel the effect of the closure, bringing affordability to the forefront of voters’ minds as midterm elections near.
“As far as what effect it has on the midterms? That I don’t know, a lot of damage has already been done,” York said.
