America’s energy security cannot depend on the Strait of Hormuz

OPINION:

Just days after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to open the Strait of Hormuz, Iran announced it was closing the oil gateway once again, bringing further disruptions to shipping throughout the region. Iran has weaponized the strait for its own strategic advantage, underscoring the larger point that energy security and national security are inseparable.

When oil and natural gas markets are disrupted, countries with strong nontraditional energy industries gain significant leverage. That is why China spent years prioritizing solar manufacturing and why it now dominates much of the global solar supply chain. Beijing stands to benefit whenever countries seek alternatives to volatile oil and gas markets.

Fortunately, the United States is pushing back against this trend. Although President Trump has understandably prioritized expanding domestic oil, gas and coal production, America is also quietly experiencing a solar manufacturing boom that deserves protection.

In 2025 alone, the U.S. opened 70 new renewable energy manufacturing facilities, including in Texas, Ohio and North Carolina. Even better, by 2030, the U.S. is expected to have more than 950 of these plants supporting up to 374,000 well-paying jobs. Many of these jobs will be held by veterans, with nearly 10% of the solar industry workforce having previously served in the military.

This is great news for American workers. A sharp increase in domestic solar production has led to a 33% decline in solar imports — a major win for U.S. manufacturing. More solar power made in America means more economic growth, more jobs and lower energy prices.

The Energy Information Administration notes that in 2025, the United States generated a record amount of electricity from nontraditional sources, and that solar power has a well-established record of significantly reducing energy costs. That is why, as energy inflation surges, solar panels are in demand all over the world. This is a major opportunity for U.S. manufacturers, and it is good to see that they are taking full advantage of it.

Although the U.S. is making progress in rebuilding its solar manufacturing base, it remains behind China, whose years of state-directed subsidies enabled the country to take a dominant position across much of the supply chain.

Other nations, such as Japan and India, have gotten in on the solar game too. The risk now is that as people turn to solar to meet their energy needs, they end up enriching other countries, especially adversaries of the United States, such as China. This is certainly what China wants. Its vision is to keep the U.S. reliant on Chinese-controlled supply chains for solar panels and other nontraditional energy technologies.

The U.S. cannot let this happen. Solar manufacturing is doing too much good to be handed over to an adversarial power. We need more investment in nontraditional energy and more onshoring of the solar industry so American ingenuity and dynamism can win the future. With solar energy, it does not matter whether the Iranians are bottlenecking the Strait of Hormuz. Iran cannot block the sun, and advances in storage technology mean solar power can be stored and drawn on as needed.

The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz proves that having a variety of domestic energy sources — “all of the above” as President Trump has supported — is essential. Bolstering oil and gas without improving our other capabilities would be tantamount to locking the front door while leaving the back door wide open. It would leave the U.S. exposed to vulnerabilities that could undermine American energy independence and affordability.

At a time when China is aggressively seeking to dominate the industries of the future, that is a risk America cannot take. Let us make America great in solar power too.

• Ambassador Robert O’Brien served as the 27th United States national security adviser. He currently serves on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.