The Trump administration is considering providing military protection to oil and gas tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz, in a bid to cool energy prices that have surged since Iran warned it would attack ships at the choke point, Politico reports, citing two people familiar with the matter.

“Military support for oil and gas supplies,” one of the two sources who was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations told the outlet when asked about the potential for US naval vessels to escort ships travelling through the waters.

“It’s becoming a growing concern that the energy markets could face pressures in the coming days as the military campaign intensifies and expands in geographic scope,” Politico reports.

“Access to the Strait of Hormuz is obviously vital for both natural gas and crude oil shipments, especially from Qatar and Saudi [Arabia].”

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