U.S. says pipelines will make Strait of Hormuz be irrelevant. Energy experts disagree

What the report says

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said oil pipelines could make the Strait of Hormuz “irrelevant” within two years, according to NPR World’s report. The comment comes amid renewed attention to the waterway, a critical shipping route for global energy supplies that has long been viewed as strategically important in the Middle East.

NPR World reported that energy experts dispute Bessent’s assessment. The central pushback is that pipelines are unlikely to fully replace the role of the strait in moving oil, especially given the region’s existing infrastructure, export patterns and the volume of crude that still depends on seaborne transport.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints. In general background, disruptions there have historically raised concern in energy markets because a significant share of global oil flows through the passage. The NPR World report frames Bessent’s remark as a policy and market claim that analysts do not consider realistic on such a short timeline.

The exchange underscores how geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to intersect with oil logistics and pricing expectations. It also highlights the limits of infrastructure claims when weighed against broader trade routes and existing export systems.