No. of Recommendations: 6
Conclusion, closing the strait was the objective.
What? No. That's just what's happened - it doesn't mean that was his objective. His objective was to get Iran to agree to a better deal than the JCPOA and be considered a brilliant wonderful leader.
The reason the ceasefire has lasted longer than the war and because he hasn't "finished the job" is because he's put himself in a box that he can't get out of. He can't get what he wants (a better-than-JPCOA win), but he doesn't want to admit defeat, so he keeps the war in stasis. That in no way means that it was his objective to close the strait.
He gains nothing by closing the Strait. What possible incentive for Trump do you think exists for him to close the Strait? Even if he doesn't care about the proles, it still hurts him to have the Strait closed. It alienates all the people in the Gulf whose economies are being devastated by the disruption, it hinders his ability to work grifts here in the U.S., it interferes with every other thing he wants to happen in the U.S. (IRS Slush Fund! Ballroom funding! Lower interest rates!). Etc.
Again - what is the plausible reason why Trump would have closing the strait as his objective, rather than something he didn't want to happen but doesn't have a solution for?
