US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that the United States had secretly helped move more than 100 million barrels (roughly one-fifth of daily global oil consumption) of oil through the
Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s knowledge, though reports suggest the operation had already been publicly disclosed weeks earlier.
Trump’s remarks appeared aimed at highlighting the US military’s role in safeguarding global energy supplies, but they also drew attention because details of the operation had surfaced in media reports weeks earlier.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the US had facilitated the movement of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway and suggested Iran was unaware of the operation. According to Reuters, Trump said the effort involved ships travelling at night and without lights after US military action had degraded Iran’s ability to monitor maritime traffic.
However, The New York Times reported that the operation referenced by Trump was not entirely secret and had been publicly reported weeks earlier.
Citing a senior US military official, the newspaper reported US Central Command had been helping commercial vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz while taking precautions to avoid detection. The official said more than 200 ships had been guided through the waterway over the past month, up from around 70 vessels reported earlier.
The report added that some ships switched off their transponders during the passage and used routes farther from Iran’s coastline, reducing the risk of attacks from Iranian drones or missiles. Shipping analysts told the newspaper that vessels appeared to be travelling closer to Omani waters.
The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes. According to figures cited by Reuters from the US Energy Information Administration, about one-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the narrow waterway, making any disruption a major concern for international energy markets.
As tensions between Washington and Tehran persist, security operations in and around the strait continue to draw close attention from governments, shipping companies and energy traders worldwide.
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