Steve Forbes is urging Washington to intensify its push against Iran’s ruling regime, saying the United States cannot compromise on protecting open navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
With U.S. strikes on Iranian targets reaching a ninth straight day on Sunday, pressure on Tehran showed no sign of easing. Forbes, the Forbes Media chairman and editor-in-chief and a former presidential contender, discussed Iran, Middle East tensions and the Trump administration’s foreign policy approach during a recent interview with INC News at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas.
Forbes Media chairman Steve Forbes has previously cautioned that the U.S. faces economic challenges after the latest CPI report and new EPA limits affecting gas-powered vehicles. (Fox News)
“From the days of Thomas Jefferson, freedom of the seas has been a central principle of American foreign policy. Freedom of navigation was one of the issues that helped lead the United States into the War of 1812 against Great Britain,” Forbes said.
“This is something the country has defended for more than 200 years. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, just like the South China Sea, and it has to remain open.”
August 1804: Tracers streak across the sky as U.S. Navy ships bombard Tripoli during operations against a ruler who backed the Tripolitan, or Barbary, pirates. The pirates demanded payments from ships, prompting the United States to go to war to break their control in the region. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
“There should be no tolls, no limits and no harassment. Commercial vessels must be able to pass through freely and safely,” he added.
Forbes argued that decisive use of air power could achieve U.S. objectives without requiring American troops on the ground, though he said that option should not be ruled out entirely. He pointed to the fight against the Barbary pirates, which ended with the First Barbary War in 1805 and helped secure freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean, as a historical example of the United States enforcing open sea lanes.
The U.S. military has been enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, even during the ceasefire. (U.S. Central Command)
“If we do things right in the air, that won’t be necessary. But as we demonstrated with the Barbary pirates, sometimes you do need hand-to-hand combat. But again, with our great military and the great Israeli military, we should be able to bring this evil regime down and enable the elements in the Iranian army that want change to feel we’re not going to pull the rug out from under them with another fake ceasefire. That we keep hammering away at this evil regime.”
A container ship, right, and a cargo vessel are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
Ultimately, Forbes said freedom of navigation should be an international red line:
“So the key thing is if you don’t enforce these key principles of freedom of navigation, liberty, you’re going to lose them. Ronald Reagan was right. Others have made the same observation. You have to preserve liberty each and every generation.”
President Ronald Reagan giving speech in the Oval Office of the White House, re Nicaraguan Contra aid. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)
Forbes said that the time for diplomacy with Tehran has passed, and encouraged the Trump administration to ratchet up the pressure, while also praising a recent decision on Ukraine policy.
“Get Iran done with. No more fake ceasefires. Get rid of that evil regime. By the way, I’m delighted that he’s saying he’s going to give licensing for Patriot missiles to Ukraine. That’ll bring a good result there.”
