Iran navy moves to shut Hormuz strait before 2nd US carrier arrives; Trump threat backfires?

As the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is ordered toward the Middle East to potentially join the USS Abraham Lincoln and bolster U.S. strike options near Iran, Tehran’s navy is publicly warning it is tracking every “enemy” move at sea as part of its deterrence posture. Rear Admiral Shahram Irani declared that Iranian naval forces “monitor the movements of the enemies day and night” and claimed what Washington fears most is the mobilised “people of Iran,” framing constant surveillance as a signal that Iran is ready to respond to any U.S. “adventurism” around the Strait of Hormuz. With Iranian officials repeatedly threatening that any attack could trigger moves to shut the vital Hormuz chokepoint—through which about one‑fifth of the world’s oil flows—analysts warn a clash between Trump’s carrier groups and Iranian forces could send energy markets into turmoil.