WASHINGTON — President Trump said Wednesday that the United States has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, issuing the claim a day after Energy Secretary Chris Wright reported that oil shipments through the vital maritime corridor are rising as Iran’s economy comes under mounting strain.
“The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it,” the president added.
The Trump administration reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports last month, turning to intensified economic pressure on Tehran in an effort to push the Islamic Republic toward seeking peace.
Wright, meanwhile, said Tuesday on X that the seven-day average for oil moving out through the Strait of Hormuz had climbed to nearly 9 million barrels per day.
“When combined with the additional 5-7 million barrels per day leaving the region via newly upgraded pipelines and export facilities, total oil flows are currently averaging approximately 15 million barrels per day,” Wright wrote. “On Sunday alone, over 20 million barrels left the Arabian gulf region, which is above the pre-conflict average.”
In his Wednesday statement, Trump sharply criticized Iran’s military and political position, saying: “They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their ‘Leadership’ is uncertain, at best!
“They have No Money – Their country is ‘shot.’ All they have is FAKE NEWS and 300% INFLATION, and getting worse!” he continued. “Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer. Praise be to Allah!”