Is the Iran Blockade Working? Marc Thiessen Breaks Down the "Jujitsu Move"

The Brian Kilmeade Show delves into the strategic effectiveness of the U.S.-led blockade on Iran’s ports and coastline, framed as a high-stakes 'jujitsu' maneuver that turns Iran’s regional leverage over the Strait of Hormuz into a crippling economic pressure point. Guest Marc Thiessen argues the blockade has severed 96% of Iran’s trade, threatening its oil production and forcing internal instability, while coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes have degraded Hezbollah and Iran’s military leadership, missile systems, and nuclear ambitions. The episode highlights the global ripple effects, particularly in energy-dependent nations like China, India, and Japan, where fuel shortages and long gas lines are emerging, underscoring the blockade’s far-reaching impact. Despite U.S. military readiness and rearming during a 10-day ceasefire, the show criticizes NATO’s lack of support, calling it counterproductive and damaging to Western unity. Domestically, the program attacks progressive policies in New York and California, condemning Mayor Eric Adams’ city-owned grocery store as a wasteful political stunt and warning that the Democratic Party’s embrace of radical left candidates like Tom Steyer and Analia Mejia risks electoral collapse. The segment also condemns Pope Leo’s war criticism as ideologically driven and hypocritical, especially given past silence on moral issues within the Church. In the final stretch, the show intensifies its condemnation of Iran’s regime, detailing horrific human rights abuses—including public executions, torture, and the use of gang rape as state terror—while emphasizing that U.S. energy independence does not shield Americans from global price shocks due to the interconnected nature of oil markets. Restoring trade in the Strait of Hormuz, it argues, hinges on normalizing shipping insurance through Lloyd’s of London.