Chuck Schumer Asks How Did Trump Not See Strait Of Hormuz Crisis Coming Because Even A ‘College Student’ Would Have Figured It Out

by | Mar 13, 2026 | General

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of failing to anticipate the Strait of Hormuz crisis, saying the administration is now scrambling as oil prices rise and shipping remains snarled.

Schumer Blasts Trump’s Hormuz Miscalculation

On X, Schumer wrote, “A college student with a basic understanding of geopolitics could tell you that Iran’s greatest leverage is this narrow passage through which a huge share of the world’s oil must travel. And now the administration is scrambling to contain the damage and deal with rising oil prices.”

His remarks fit into a broader Democratic critique of Trump’s handling of the widening conflict with Iran and the blockade of a chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of global oil supply.

Mojtaba Escalates Threats In First Remarks

Schumer was reacting after Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said Thursday that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz should continue as a “tool to pressure the enemy” in his first public statement since taking power.

In televised remarks carried by state media and reported by Reuters, Mojtaba also said U.S. military bases in the region should close immediately and warned that “those bases will be attacked.” He added that Iran “will not refrain from avenging the blood of its martyrs,” after an attack on his father’s compound killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other close family members and left Mojtaba injured.

Oil Shock Deepens War’s Political Cost

Oil prices extended gains after the statement, with Reuters reporting that shipping through Hormuz has effectively stopped since the war began and that Iran warned on Wednesday that crude could hit $200 a barrel. There are also no clear signs the U.S.-Israeli campaign is nearing an end, with air and sea attacks intensifying this week and Iran stepping up retaliatory strikes on tankers in or near the strait.

Trump told Fox News on Tuesday he was “disappointed” by Mojtaba’s selection and said, “I don’t believe he can live in peace.” Even so, Reuters has reported it remains unclear whether the White House is pursuing regime change as a formal objective, and recent intelligence assessments suggest airstrikes alone are unlikely to unseat Iran’s leadership.

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