President Donald Trump said the United States has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, while Energy Secretary Chris Wright said U.S. military efforts have helped push oil flows through the critical waterway to nearly 9 million barrels per day—far above levels indicated by publicly available shipping data.
Speaking to reporters on Aug. 11, Trump rejected Iran’s claim that Tehran continues to control access to the strait, a chokepoint that handled roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows before the Iran war began in February.
“We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don’t have control. We have total control. We own it,” Trump said….