How to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

How to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

From Geopolitics Decanted with Dmitri Alperovitch by Silverado Policy Accelerator

March 23, 2026 · 44 min · Episode 79

About this episode

Dmitri Alperovitch discusses the complexities of reopening the Strait of Hormuz with RADM Mark Montgomery (Ret.) amidst the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran.

Three weeks into the US-Israel war with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed — and reopening it may be far harder and slower than many may realize. Dmitri Alperovitch talks to RADM Mark Montgomery (Ret.), who has transited the strait 25+ times and lays out what it will actually take, why Kharg Island is a distraction, and the possible uncomfortable timeline for return to normalcy. 00:00 Introduction 01:09 Threat Environment in the Strait of Hormuz 03:37 Military Strategies for Reopening the Strait 05:19 Cruise Missile Threat 11:43 Tackling the Mine Problem 19:57 Convoy Operations in the Persian Gulf 26:43 Kharg Island 31:41 How long to return of normal traffic in the Gulf? 36:14 The Endgame 42:20 The Houthi problem

People in this episode

Host: Dmitri Alperovitch

Guest: RADM Mark Montgomery (Ret.)

Topics covered

  • US-Israel war
  • Strait of Hormuz
  • military strategies
  • mine problem
  • convoy operations
  • return to normalcy

Keywords

  • Strait of Hormuz
  • Iran
  • military strategies
  • mine problem
  • convoy operations
  • Houthi

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Kharg Island, Persian Gulf

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