Trump: US Military Secretly Helped 100 Million Barrels of Oil Pass Through Strait of Hormuz

(Central News Agency, Washington, 10th, Comprehensive Foreign News) Despite Iran largely blocking the Strait of Hormuz in response to attacks by the US and Israel, US President Trump said today that the US military has secretly helped 100 million barrels of oil pass through this vital waterway.

According to AFP, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "Last month, I instructed our great US military to carry out a secret mission to support oil tankers and other commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz." He claimed the US now "controls" this waterway.

The US initiated a military operation codenamed "Project Freedom" in early May to escort ships through the strait, but it was canceled after just one day. Trump described the move at the time as an effort to end the Middle East war launched by Washington and Israel on February 28.

US media reported in late May that the operation had resumed, but US Central Command stated at the time that reports of the Navy resuming "escorting or assisting commercial vessels" were not true.

He said: "Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in over 100 million barrels of oil passing through the strait and entering the open market." He added that over 200 commercial vessels have passed through.

According to Reuters, the world consumes about 100 million barrels of oil per day. Trump said that due to this secret mission, global oil prices have fallen. Trump told reporters at the White House: "That's why oil is $85 to $90 a barrel, not $250."

He also said that Iran, a major OPEC oil producer, "just figured out" that oil had passed through the strait.

Trump stated: "In the dead of night a few days ago, we brought out 22 ships without any lights, because they don't have any radar, we've blown their radar to smithereens."

Meanwhile, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a congressional hearing today that the increase in oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz over the past week is "the result of using the US military to increase oil flow through the waterway."

Wright pointed out that the vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz are not Iranian. Other countries that transport oil through this strait include Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. (Editor: Li Peishan) 1150611