Trump and regime in their catbird seat calling oil tankner companies cowards for refusing to pass the Strait of Hormuz
...Trump and his administration have been chiding shipping companies from their catbird seat, saying those who refuse to go through the Gulf of Hormuz are essentially cowards, but aside from the very real feats for their safety, they can't get anyone to insure their cargo at prices they can afford.
‘Show some guts’: Trump tells oil tankers is to buck up and get through Strait of Hormuz
“Brian, did you have a phone interview with the president of the United States, what is his read on this?” co-host Lawrence Jones asked.
“I asked him, ‘How do you get the prices down? I know how much you care about oil and gas,’ and he says, ‘Tell these tankers to get themselves, get to it, We have wiped out most of their launchers.’ Here is exactly what he said, ‘These ships should go through the Strait of Hormuz and show some guts. There’s nothing to be afraid of. They have no Navy, we sunk all our ships.’ He went on to say ‘look, yeah, there is risk in the region, the region’s volatile. Launchers, just about 150 left. That’s just about 20% in total. They can’t regenerate and can’t make any more. We are in the region, we need to act quickly on all these types of attacks. I think they are going to get some additional naval assets in there to do some escorting, but there was a tanker that came through yesterday successfully, no problem. Is he saying come on, guys,” Kilmeade said.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/03/09/show-some-guts-trump-tells-oil-tankers-is-to-buck-up-and-get-through-strait-of-hormuz-1626331/
...everything he says confirms the exponential escalation of consequences from his warring, but Bibi and Vlad told him to threaten and bait the oil companies, and to pacify Americans (and the markets) by telling us that it's all almost over.
Trump gave that a try, but couldn't help giving it all away by prevaricating out loud about the halt of oil traffic through the Gulf as he thought up a lie; and thought it up quick...
Trump says Iran war will end "very soon" at Florida news conference
"I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply," he said.
The president reiterated that the U.S. is offering political risk insurance to any tankers in the Persian Gulf, and the U.S. could escort tankers through the strait if needed.
"If they do anything, the price will be incalculable," the president said of potential Iranian operations against oil tankers.
Markets are down since the war began over a week ago, and oil prices have jumped — though the price of crude oil dropped and major stock indexes closed in positive territory on Monday afternoon after Mr. Trump floated a takeover of the Strait of Hormuz in his interview with CBS News. Earlier in the day, oil prices had surged by double-digit margins.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-says-iran-war-will-end-very-soon-at-florida-news-conference/ar-AA1XQXpm
...turns out, the 'incaculable' price is to be borne by the oil companies at the hands of insurers.
Maritime insurers have cancelled war risk cover in Gulf as Iran conflict disrupts shipping
At least 150 vessels including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers have dropped anchor in the strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, and at least three tankers were damaged and one seafarer killed over the weekend.
The vital shipping route, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supplies and 20% of seaborne gas tankers pass, is effectively closed after the US and Israel began intense airstrikes on Iran on Saturday.
Several leading mutual marine insurers, including Norway’s Gard and Skuld, the UK’s NorthStandard and the London P&I Club, and the New York-based American Club, said they were cancelling war risk cover for ships operating in the region.
This is likely to further dissuade shipowners from traversing the Gulf. The insurers said war risk cover – which typically covers shipowners for costs and damages resulting from war, terrorism and piracy – would be cancelled in Iranian waters, as well as the Gulf and adjacent waters, with effect from 5 March.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/02/maritime-insurers-war-risk-cover-gulf-iran-shipping-strait-of-hormuz
...Trump's solution is to promise cheap insurance for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz in a challenge to Lloyd’s of London which has sharply raised rates to prohibitive levels:
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Effective IMMEDIATELY, I have ordered the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide, at a very reasonable price, political risk insurance and guarantees for the Financial Security of ALL Maritime Trade, especially Energy, travelling through the Gulf.”
...but some on Wall Street warned the DFC’s insurance capacity might be too small for the risk, and executive authority isn't going to provide enough money without asking Congress to increase the allowable limit.
The DFC operates under a legal limit on how much financial risk it can take on at any given time. Originally set at $60 billion, the cap was increased to $205 billion through 2031 in the agency’s most recent reauthorization.
As of the end of 2025, the DFC reported about $51.5 billion in outstanding commitments across its portfolio, wrote J.P. Morgan analyst Natasha Kaneva in a Wednesday note. That leaves roughly $154 billion in remaining capacity under the cap.
About 329 vessels are currently operating in the Gulf, and each would need coverage for oil pollution, salvage, hull damage, and third-party liability in the event of a total loss, Keneva said. Together, that would require roughly $352 billion in insurance coverage.
In the past, the DFC has provided political risk insurance when private insurers withdrew from high-risk regions, including coverage related to the war in Ukraine. But those programs have generally been much smaller in scale.
If the government wanted the agency to take on commitments beyond that legal limit, Congress would need to pass new legislation to raise the cap.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-admin-will-insure-oil-tankers-in-the-strait-of-hormuz-will-it-fix-the-crisis/ar-AA1XGHEK
...funny how responsibility for Trump's war of choice keeps rolling back to his administration and his republican party's incompetence, destructiveness, and fecklessness.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Banners, lots of press, maybe a small brass band
DURec
But I would add a large brass band (sorry, musicians - switch that to just large brass band recordings on loud speakers). Are there tankers with an automatic pilot? I mean, really the only person that should actually be on board is the Donald himself. Because he is soooo brave and strong. And be sure to announce it all around to everyone in Iran far in advance because everyone needs to see just how safe it is.
Oh, and be sure it's televised. I would totally set me DVR for that.
Already sports a wad in his britches!
