[US Energy Secretary: Strait of Hormuz to Reopen by This Summer at the Latest] According to Jintou citing *The Hill*, US Energy Secretary Wright stated on Friday local time that the Strait of Hormuz will "reopen at some point this summer at the latest." Wright mentioned that the US is "continuing to expand its natural gas exports." Despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz causing a daily loss of 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas transportation capacity, the US has still added 2.5 billion cubic feet of daily natural gas export capacity. "Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will resume as soon as possible, but at the latest by this summer," Wright said, adding that a related agreement could be reached "within the next few days" at the earliest. Wright stated that if Iran "continues to hold the global economy hostage," the US military will "forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though this is not an easy task." "We have taken preliminary steps, but the better approach is to reach an agreement rather than resort to military force," he added.