Looking at options??????

US military "looking at options" for escorting ships through Strait of Hormuz, Caine says

By Catherine Nicholls

The United States is “looking at a range of options” regarding the possibility of escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil shipments that’s been effectively shut down by the war, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine just said in a Pentagon briefing Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump said a week ago the US was prepared to provide naval escorts for shipping as well as insurance.

When asked about those preparations, Caine said that the US is “looking at a range of options there, and we’ll figure out how to solve problems as they come to us.”

“If tasked to escort, you know, we’ll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that, and then, like we always do with every potential mission, come to the secretary and the president with both, what are the resources required, what is the command and control required, and what are the risks, and how do we mitigate those risks?” he told reporters.

The issue of protection for oil tankers gained urgency as oil prices surged past $100 a barrel earlier this week, before dropping down below that benchmark.