The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), center, and the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) sail in formation during a scheduled transit of the Strait of Hormuz, Nov. 9, 2020. (US Navy/MC3 Anthony Collier)
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that the U.S. military has been used to increase the flow of non-Iranian oil shipments departing through the Strait of Hormuz.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had directed the U.S. military to carry out a secret mission in the Strait of Hormuz aimed at protecting commercial shipping and oil tankers, claiming the operation enabled more than 100 million barrels of oil to reach global markets and allowed more than 200 commercial vessels to transit the waterway safely.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the effort began last month and involved military support for oil tankers and other commercial ships moving through the strategic maritime corridor.
“Last month, I directed our Great U.S. Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market. More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait.”
Trump attributed the operation’s success to what he described as U.S. control of the waterway.
“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! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.
The president also referenced the operation during remarks to reporters, saying nighttime escort missions had enabled the United States to remove millions of barrels of oil from Iran. Trump said the effort had contributed to lower global oil prices.
“We are taking millions of barrels of oil out of Iran. Last night we seized 22 ships full of oil, and they didn’t know about it. That’s why oil prices are falling,” Trump said.
Trump added that the operation had helped prevent oil prices from rising beyond an estimated range of $85-$90 per barrel.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that the U.S. military has been used to increase the flow of non-Iranian oil shipments departing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said the military effort facilitated the movement of more than 100 million barrels of oil and the safe passage of more than 200 commercial ships through the strategic shipping route.
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