“Real Time” host Bill Maher on Friday expressed bewilderment about multiple oil tankers getting attacked while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, admitting one week after praising President Donald Trump for starting the Iran war, “I don’t understand this.”
“Trump says no Air Force, Iran has no Air Force, no missiles and no navy,” said Maher. “He says there’s ‘nothing left’ to bomb. Yeah, we have nothing left to bomb. Apparently, they have something left to bomb, which is the Strait of Hormuz. I don’t understand this.”
He continued, “We have complete military superiority, we’re bragging about that, except for the one place where we apparently need complete military superiority. Do you understand this? Why can’t we control the Strait of Hormuz, the one place we need to control in Iran?
His guest, Lloyd Blankfein, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, hinted at strategic advantages Iran had in the strait.
“I don’t think it takes much effort to create an obstacle on a very narrow bottleneck there, so I think they don’t have to have much firepower,” said Blankfein, adding: “It doesn’t take much to fire cheap drones and menace ships so that they don’t go through.”
Experts agree, citing Iran’s ability to deploy mines or low-cost attack drones.
Fellow panelist Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director under Trump, attributed the situation to “bad war planning” — and said the Trump administration redeployed four U.S. Navy minesweepers to other parts of the world in September.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on the country. The war has cost at least 13 U.S. military service members and more than 1,400 Iranians, including dozens of schoolgirls, their lives.
“Also, this week, war,” said Maher at the time. “Did you hear about that thing? We bombed Iran and it’s going on. Now, if you expect me to say I hate it, I don’t. Sorry! When he puts boots on the ground, yeah, then I’ll hate it. Now, I know too many happy Iranian Americans.”
He also slammed former Vice President Kamala Harris for saying Trump “dragged America into a war that we don’t want,” which numerous polls are certainly suggesting.
“And who knows more about what the American people don’t want?” Maher quipped.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday controversially claimed the Strait of Hormuz is “open” — despite an Iranian military spokesperson declaring it’s “undoubtedly” under their control — and said the “only thing prohibiting transit” is Iran “shooting at shipping.”
Maher also claimed last week that he would oppose the Iran war if Trump deployed troops there. Mere hours before opening his show Friday, U.S. officials said an estimated 2,500 Marines are heading to the Middle East amid intensified Iranian attacks in the strait.
