Unpacking the Hormuz Blockade

After marathon talks in Islamabad failed to produce a peace agreement between the United States and Iran, Washington announced it would blockade Iranian ports.

This webinar examines the emerging US military posture in the Strait of Hormuz and its broader diplomatic and economic implications.

The conversation will feature MEI’s Distinguished Military Fellow and former Commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.), MEI Senior Fellow Colby Connelly, and MEI Senior Director of Communications and Events, Zeina Al-Shaib, will moderate.

Speaker Biographies

Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.)
Distinguished Military Fellow, Middle East Institute

Colby Connelly
Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute

Zeina Al-Shaib
Senior Director of Communications and Events, Middle East Institute

Extended Speaker Biographies

Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, USN (ret.), is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He previously served as Commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and Commander of the 32 Nation Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East. In those roles he led teams that planned and executed joint and combined combat, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy operations at sea and in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

Colby Connelly is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, focusing on oil and gas markets, liquified natural gas (LNG), aboveground risk, corporate strategy, and the impact of the energy transition on oil- and gas-producing states. He is also the head of Middle East content and senior analyst at Energy Intelligence, where he works with the firm’s research and advisory practices.

Zeina Al-Shaib (Moderator) is Senior Director of Communications and Events at the Middle East Institute (MEI), where she leads the organization’s strategic communications and public programming. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of media and policy, Zeina works with her team to grow the Institute’s media impact and promote its work on Middle Eastern policy, art, and culture.