US Interior Secretary Accuses Iran of Acting Like ‘Somali Pirates’ in Strait of Hormuz

United States Interior Secretary Doug Burgum compared the Iranian government’s activities in the Strait of Hormuz to those of “Somali pirates,” alleging the country is holding the global economy hostage through its military posturing in the strategic waterway.

In an interview, Burgum praised President Donald Trump’s leadership and the execution of U.S. military strategy, stating that from a military standpoint, “the United States won.” He said the current phase involves economic measures, including blocking what remains of Iran’s oil activity.

“Essentially, it’s gone. It’s now a terrorist group trying to control a piece of geography,” Burgum said, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The IRGC essentially has become proven to be like the Somali pirates running around trying to block the activity of the whole world. So not only are they holding their own country hostage, now they’re trying to hold the world economy hostage.”

Burgum asserted that the blockade strategy is working and that he expects a very positive outcome.

Turning to domestic energy production, the Interior Secretary noted that the U.S. now produces more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined, and is the world’s largest natural gas producer and exporter. He added that the U.S. has displaced two-thirds of Russian gas in Western Europe.

“The energy dominance strategy is to sell energy to our friends and allies,” Burgum said. “They don’t have to buy from these countries that are trying to write and hold hostage terrorist groups are lining the coast.”

When asked about Americans’ concerns over gasoline prices, Burgum pointed to recent geopolitical shifts involving Venezuela, which he described as having been “an absolute adversary” and a home base for terrorist groups in the Western Hemisphere. He claimed that President Trump turned that adversary into a strategic ally in 45 minutes.

“The entire geopolitical universe of energy has moved to the Western Hemisphere,” Burgum said. With U.S. energy dominance and Venezuela—which he said has more reserves than Saudi Arabia—now in close partnership with the U.S., Burgum predicted “an age of prosperity” for American consumers.

He emphasized that the U.S. already has the most reliable, secure, and affordable energy in the world. Once the Strait of Hormuz opens up, he concluded, “we’re going to see significant price relief because all the flow from our new strongest allies—UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait—all of their oil starts.”