Some were ready to declare defeat and hand the Strait of Hormuz to the Islamic Republic of Iran. But the reality is that we are seeing progress in the Strait of Hormuz – thanks to the U.S. military. It is performing two tough tasks simultaneously: 1) implementing a naval blockade of Iran; and 2) facilitating the export of non-Iran oil through the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade is depriving the regime of billions of dollars in revenue, making it more difficult for Iran to fund domestic repression, bankroll international terrorism, rebuild its military, and pursue nuclear weapons. And we are seeing a significant number of merchant vessels sail through the Strait each week. That is possible because the U.S. military has dealt a serious blow to Iran’s Navy, cleared the strait’s international shipping lanes of mines, and degraded Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities. But it is too soon to declare mission accomplished. Moscow and Beijing are supporting Tehran. Iran's attacks on ships will continue. But progress is real, and we owe that to the capability of the U.S. military. The strain on the U.S. Navy is real, but the best response is for Congress to pass the defense appropriation bill without delay and stop relying on continuing resolutions.