Trump Orders Maritime Insurance and Signals Navy Escorts to Secure Strait of Hormuz Oil Flows

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade moving through the Gulf, and signaled that the U.S. Navy could begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary.

Representational Image: NY Post

In a public statement, Trump said the directive takes effect immediately and is intended to safeguard the financial security of all maritime trade, particularly energy shipments transiting the Gulf. He said the insurance and guarantees would be available to all shipping lines at what he described as a reasonable price.

Trump added that if conditions require, the U.S. Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible,” asserting that the United States will ensure the free flow of energy to global markets. He described U.S. economic and military capacity as sufficient to uphold that objective and indicated that further actions may follow.

The announcement comes as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed sharply amid missile and drone exchanges linked to the expanding Iran conflict. 

The narrow waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, carries roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil. Recent threats by Iranian officials to close the strait and attacks on vessels and energy infrastructure have pushed crude prices higher and raised insurance premiums for shipping.

By directing the DFC to step in with political risk coverage, Washington appears to be attempting to stabilize maritime commerce and reassure markets while preserving commercial flows. The possibility of naval escorts would mark a further militarization of the waterway, recalling past U.S. convoy operations in the Gulf during earlier regional crises.

The move shows how energy security and maritime chokepoints have become central to the conflict’s trajectory. What began as a campaign targeting military and nuclear infrastructure has expanded into a contest over shipping lanes, insurance markets and global supply chains. 

With oil flows constricted, governments coordinating evacuations and major powers recalibrating their positions, the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a decisive pressure point.