Maher swipes at Trump over Iran war: ‘I don’t understand’ why US can’t control Strait of Hormuz
The Hill's Headlines | PM - March 13, 2026
Comedian Bill Maher on Friday swiped at President Trump for having no control over the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which has led to oil and gas prices surging amid the Iran conflict.
“Apparently, [the Iranians] have something left to bomb, which is the Strait of Hormuz,” Maher told his “Real Time” panelists, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.
“I don’t understand this,” Maher 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 we can’t control the Strait of Hormuz, the one place we need to control in Iran?”
Scaramucci called it “bad war-planning” that the U.S. deployed its mine-sweeping capabilities to other parts of the world instead of through the strait.
“That’s been one of the things that’s preventing us from getting our Navy in there to take on the convoy,” he said.
The options that the administration faces if it were to take over the strait would be for the U.S. Navy to escort tankers after the mines are disabled or to capture Kharg Island. The island was bombed Friday night, with Trump pointing out that its oil infrastructure was spared.
Maher praised Trump last week over the initial U.S. strikes on Iran. The HBO host lambasted his liberal audience over what they “don’t get about liberation.”
“How about this?” he said on last week’s episode. “This was a fascist theocracy, and nothing in the Middle East was ever going to get better while they were still there f—ing everything up.”
Maher added that he’s “cautiously optimistic” about the military offensive “unless he puts boots on the ground,” referring to Trump. He also said that the U.S. killing much of Iran’s leadership –– a void since filled with the ascension of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei –– opens the door for “so much happiness” for the Iranian people.
The comedian was a vocal critic against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and against former President George W. Bush in the early 2000s. Maher used to frequently challenge supporters of the war.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in a surge in prices, from fertilizer to gas and oil. The national average for gas prices in the U.S. reached $3.68 as of Saturday morning, according to data from AAA.
The U.S. oil price benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude trades at just more than $98 per barrel. The international benchmark, Brent crude, closed for the week at almost $104 per barrel.
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Conversation
All Comments
Comment by Tzarkastik Underhill.
This war/not a war/ but obviously a war, is only showing that relying on oil is a major vulnerability for the US and NATO. Sustainable renewable energy sources would help stop things like this from happening. Trump keeps saying Climate change is a hoax/con. That's why China, the world's second largest economy and powerful military is moving AWAY from fossil fuels, right?
Comment by tcinla1311.
Bill Maher is an idiot.
Comment by Will P.
Iraq Iraq Iraq USA will once again fail
Reply by tcinla1311.
As it needs to.
Comment by tlshell.
Seems like a legit question since Trump and Hegseth have been bragging so much about our military. I would venture to guess that it's all brag and little fact.
Comment by frank_long_1999.
Apparently,Maher Ike Trump, skipped his fourth grade geography class.
Reply by tcinla1311.
And all his other classes.
Reply by jesseking359.
Maher didn't have the basic knowledge of the region to recognize WHY the US has declined to start a war with Iran for the last 50 years. There were simple strategic reasons why it was always a bad idea, and they weren't remotely difficult to understand. So he clapped along like an idiot when Trump attacked, and now just like Trump he's confused about why we can't just automatically win a scenario that the Pentagon has long warned would be quite difficult to win without severe economic consequences.
Comment by Franco Prairie.
Trump would not take Maher bait. The president knows if he sends military ships to the strait, they'll be seating ducks for the iranians.
Comment by Phillip Avery.
Look, I don't even know who this Maher guy is. But it's a valid question. With the forces in the region, apparently unable to defend a 20-ish square mile of sea, are we supposed to believe we have the strongest military in the world? Or perhaps the weakest leader.
Reply by jesseking359.
Because our ships aren't meant to fight trapped in a tiny box - they're meant to fight over hundreds of miles, using interceptor missiles to knock out attacks 20-50 miles away. Those defenses also weren't built with defending huge, extremely vulnerable ships from low altitude drone swarms in mind.
They could try to do it, but it would put our ships in a vulnerable position with no real guarantee that they could prevent hits on those tankers - and they are *very* flammable.
Comment by jwgoodson.
General Maher is out of the loop.
Reply by tcinla1311.
As well as out to lunch.
Comment by fbpiksks.
I guess like trump and his bowels, hegseth can't control the strait. Not surprised that an incompetent fox newsboy is nothing but a Chickenhawk Secretary of the Egg On Face Department.
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