Targeting Russian Diesel, and USS Boxer in the Iran Blockade (From FOX News)

FOX News Anchor Ashley Strohmier led off discussion Ukraine’s targeting of Russian diesel fuel, and how the USS Boxer and other U.S. Navy ships are enforcing the blockade on Iran.  Highlights below and full clip here.

Ashley Strohmier: President Trump is calling on Ukraine to change tactics in its war against Russia.

President Donald J. Trump (Sound on Tape): He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia.  Let him go after targets but not diesel.  Because he’s causing a shortage of diesel.  This isn’t done by the Middle East.  This is happening with Russia and Ukraine. There are plenty of other targets.  Don’t hit diesel fuel because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world.  We don’t want him to hit diesel fuel.

Ashley Strohmier: President Trump talks about diesel in particular there, and the effect this can have all over the world.  We’re already feeling this pain at the pump when it comes to diesel, because that’s just going to drive the price of everything else up, so where does it go from here, and how is this going to affect us long term?

Rebecca Grant: With the diesel, to me this is President Trump pointing out to the world that Ukraine has more leverage over Russia, because of these strikes.  Putin has put in gas rationing, and he’s banned the export of diesel. Russia used to export about 11% of the world’s diesel.  Now luckily the good news USA is #1, we’ve got about 130 refineries, but they are at top capacity, and because international demand is so high, we are exporting some diesel.  So everybody looks for diesel to remain high at this point, but remember this is really a sign of the pressure that Russia is starting to feel.

Ashley Strohmier:  Russia said that they’re willing to come back to the table in mid-October, to have more peace talks, maybe come to an agreement, whatever you want to call it.  Why wait until mid-October?

Rebecca Grant:  This energy strategy by Ukraine is putting pressure on them, just like you say and again President Trump was very deliberate in saying in this case it’s not the Middle East, it’s the Russian situation that’s causing this.  Now we are seeing a little bit more production, a little bit of our reserves going up, but you know it’s going to take time with Putin. He can’t hide the war from the Russian people and that may be enough to put some pressure on.  

Ashley Strohmier: Ukraine says these refineries are funding Russian war efforts.

Rebecca Grant:  Yes, and one of the refineries they attacked is down in Tatarstan in Russia, and that’s the same place that Russia makes the Iranian-type drones that they send, several hundred drones, sometimes days in a row, into Ukraine.   I don’t see Ukraine pulling back, and Trump didn’t tell them to pull back, he just trolled them a little bit on the diesel targeting.  They are targeting other legitimate Russian military targets and other forms of energy production. 

Ashley Strohmier: I want to switch to the Middle East, with diplomatic talks stalled and an Iranian cargo ship struck near the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday.  President Trump was asked whether the U.S. was behind that.  Listen.

Reporter (Sound on Tape): Iran said one of their vessels was struck last night.  Was it the United States?

President Trump (Sound on Tape): I don’t want to say.

Ashley Strohmier: Strategically, what do you think’s happening with both the U.S. and Iran?

Rebecca Grant:  Interesting remarks.  Remember, we have ships like the USS Boxer, which is an amphibious ship with Marines aboard, and they have boarded, I mean probably close to 20 Iranian vessels.  It’s possible an Iranian ship was violating restrictions or trying to go through the blockade.  Who knows.  But big picture, Iran is trying to get around that blockade.  Of course, it’s not working.   The Houthis come in, here they’re trying to help out, but the Houthis were crushed back in 2025.  Their capabilities are much less than they used to be even though they’ve taken possession of this Port of Moka.  So, I would say Admiral Cooper, our commander there, is in a pretty good position right now.  He knows the Houthis aren’t really a serious threat to the Red Sea and the blockade is working very effectively.  They’ve turned back over 100 Iranian ships – great credit to our sailors, Marines, airmen out there.