U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that a military action he authorized last month enabled the passage of in excess of 100 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz. He said the operation, which he described as secret, was directed to protect oil tankers and other commercial vessels using the strategic waterway.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said, "Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Straight, and into the Open Market." He added that more than 200 commercial ships moved safely through the strait during the course of the operation.
Mr. Trump characterized the mission as a resounding success and framed it as evidence of U.S. control over the waterway. In his post he wrote, "This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz - NOT Iran. Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran."
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow channel connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and is a principal route for global oil shipments. The president's statement framed the military action as protecting commercial traffic and ensuring crude made its way into the open market.
Details on the precise nature of the military operation were not provided in the president's public post beyond his characterization of it as a secret mission to support tankers and other commercial craft transiting the waterway. The announcement focused on the volume of oil and the number of vessels that passed safely during the stated operation.
Clear summary: The president said he ordered a secret U.S. military mission to protect commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz; he reported that the effort allowed more than 100 million barrels of oil to transit to the open market and that over 200 commercial ships passed safely through the strait.