Iran has attacked at least 20 vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, blocking the shipping lane for 12 days and sending oil prices surging, as the country vows to prevent oil from reaching the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. is weighing options including naval escorts and mine-clearing operations, but officials acknowledge they are not yet ready to offer protection to ships in the strait.

An escort could come together in “days, not weeks,” retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs, tells Newsweek. But “it's complicated.”

In a CBS News interview Murrett says, “I think they can keep it going. Now how that is defined is important.”

“Obviously, their missile capabilities, other things in terms of what we call general purpose military forces, like their navy and their air force and their air defense, are far, far weaker than they were when this started. They do have some other cards they can play, specificially in the Straits of Hormuz, and that will certainly loom large in the days and weeks ahead,” says Murrett.

Murrett was also interviewed on EWTN News regarding the conflict.