Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio appeared on a news program to argue that former President Joe Biden is at least partly responsible for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. Iran closed the strait after the United States and Israel began bombing the country on February 28.
Around 20% of the world’s crude oil normally flows through the strait, so the closure has caused major problems for the global oil supply and pushed oil prices up; something President Trump’s aides had reportedly warned him could happen if the U.S. attacked Iran.
Since the closure, Trump has asked U.S. allies to help reopen the strait or escort oil tankers through it, but no country has agreed so far. Iran has also bombed oil facilities and several U.S. bases in the region, while Israel has invaded Lebanon again. Trump has given vague answers about when the conflict might end or what its goal is. According to Mediaite, Trump’s fellow Republican Senator Husted believes Biden should be blamed for the crisis.
Husted blamed two Democratic presidents, but the facts tell a different story
During his appearance, Husted blamed Biden and another unnamed Democratic president, presumably Barack Obama, saying they failed to prevent Iran from being able to close the strait. He argued Trump is now fixing those past failures. Trump has also been pushing allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though a backup plan on his desk would require U.S. troops on Iranian soil.
Husted said, “Joe Biden and his entire team with the Green New Deal helped really put groups like Iran and their ability to finance wars and not stand up to them as they crossed red lines time after time. And now President Trump is having to fix the problems of the past.”
“It was the failures of two Democrat presidents that put us in a position today where Iran had the capacity to make a nuclear weapon,” he continued. “They had the ability to send ballistic missiles into their neighbors, and they had the drones and the capacity to cut off the Strait of Hormuz. And now President Trump is having to remedy those problems.”
However, Iran had never closed the Strait of Hormuz before this current war started. The closure happened directly as a result of the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign that began on February 28. On the nuclear issue, Iran has never possessed weapons-grade uranium.
Under the Obama administration, the U.S. and other world powers reached a deal with Iran that included regular inspections of its nuclear facilities. Iran has always said those facilities are for civilian use. Trump pulled the U.S. out of that deal in 2018. Meanwhile, Trump has also been calling for treason charges against journalists covering his Iran war, a charge that carries the death penalty under U.S. law. Iranian officials have reported that more than 1,300 civilians have been killed by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran so far.
Published: Mar 17, 2026 06:45 pm