Griffin Says Strait of Hormuz Blockade Persists

Fox national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin told lawmakers’ push for answers is colliding with a stubborn reality: after 38 days of airstrikes against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz remains under blockade, despite claims that U.S. military objectives were

On Capitol Hill, the question came out the way it has all week: if U.S. forces have been getting results, why is the Strait of Hormuz still closed.

Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin. appearing Tuesday afternoon on “America Reports. ” pressed that contradiction as top military leaders testified earlier in the day. She opened with what lawmakers were hearing behind closed doors. saying there was “political posturing. stonewalling. and anger. but very few answers about how to open the Strait of Hormuz and what has been achieved after 38 days of airstrikes against Iran.”.

In a clip from the hearing, a GOP House member asked CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper whether “Operation Epic Fury has achieved great success to this point.” Cooper replied, “I would, sir. We met all our military objectives.”

Griffin did not let that statement stand on its own. “And yet the Strait of Hormuz remains under blockade,” she said.

Cooper offered Congress a different measure of progress, telling lawmakers, “The chairman of the Joint Chiefs characterized it this way: ‘Iran’s capability is significantly degraded. Their voice is very loud,’” Cooper said.

Then came the sharper follow-up: if Iran’s capability is degraded, “So why is it closed?” another member of Congress asked.

Cooper’s answer pointed to the reality that the public can see in the market and feel in daily life. “As we sit here today, there are low volumes of ships that are going in and out. For instance, we had two U.S. flag ships go out just last week,” he said.

Griffin returned to the domestic stakes in a challenge that sounded less like strategy and more like frustration. “If you look at your gas prices, nobody’s thinking that the Strait of Hormuz is open,” the lawmaker pushed back.

The dispute unfolding on television was also tied to a specific moment in the White House timeline. Griffin said President Trump claimed he was “one hour away from resuming the war” and called off the resumption of airstrikes at 3 p.m. Monday after speaking with the leaders of Qatar. Saudi Arabia. and the UAE. who told him progress was being made in negotiations. Griffin read Trump’s instruction in a clip: “I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Daniel Caine. and the United States military that we will not be doing the scheduled attack on Iran tomorrow. but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full. large-scale assault on Iran on a moment’s notice in the event that an acceptable deal is not reached.”.

In another clip from the day before, Trump warned that the next escalation might still be on the table—saying, “We may have to give him another big hit. We may have to give them another big—I’m not sure yet.”

The hearing and the White House pauses were playing out against a widening ledger of costs and pressure measures. Griffin said the Congressional Research Service listed 42 U.S. military aircraft worth millions of dollars apiece as lost or damaged so far during the war with Iran. She specified four F-15 Strike Eagles, an F-35, and 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones.

While the air war’s toll piled up, economic pressure kept moving. Griffin said the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) “has just slapped sanctions on 19 Iran-linked tankers being used to store Iranian oil offshore.”

And the geopolitics extended beyond the Strait itself. Griffin noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting President Xi in China today. and she framed the strategic reason lawmakers and audiences are wrestling with—saying. “Sandra. both have an interest in keeping the U.S. bogged down in the Middle East.”.

The tension running through Tuesday’s remarks was clear in the sequence: military leaders testified that U.S. objectives were met and Iran’s capabilities were degraded, yet low ship volumes continued and the blockade remained in place. The political fight over what counts as “success” sharpened at the exact point where the public measures impact—on the waterway that moves energy—and where Trump’s willingness to keep applying pressure still hangs on whether an “acceptable deal” emerges.

Strait of Hormuz Jennifer Griffin Brad Cooper Operation Epic Fury Iran airstrikes Pete Hegseth Daniel Caine OFAC sanctions Iran-linked tankers MQ-9 Reaper F-15 Strike Eagle F-35