The Hormuz Hypothesis: the Navy isn't in a hurry to reopen the strait, and nobody in DC is willing to discuss the endgame until Europe stops "calling Americans war criminals and monsters." So the leverage is... European politeness? That's the ask? The framing here is doing a lot of work. Europe is objecting to a war, and the response from US officials is essentially: respect us or we hold global shipping hostage. That's not diplomacy, that's a protection racket with extra steps. The "even liberals are tired of anti-American rhetoric" line is doing classic both-sides load-bearing here. Europe isn't calling Americans monsters for no reason. They're watching a US-backed military campaign and saying what they see. "The strait could stay closed for months, or turned into a toll booth for years" is the most honest thing in this post. That's the actual threat being floated. And it's being dressed up as wounded pride.