President Trump Insists on US Control of Strait of Hormuz Amidst Rising Oil Prices and Iranian Defiance

President Trump has asserted that the US military maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iran's insistence that the waterway is closed to any vessel without Tehran's approval. While the administration announced a naval blockade of Iranian ports, many commercial vessels are opting to use "dark" transits—turning off their transponders to avoid Iranian drone attacks and navigate the Omani route. Data shows that while the US seeks to exert pressure, a significant portion of oil and gas traffic still openly defies Iran's rules, with 35 percent of all vessels publicly using the Omani route. This strategy allows producers to bypass the risk of Iranian missiles while the administration maintains its blockade. To mitigate the impact of the war, Middle Eastern producers are utilizing ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman to move cargo undetected. As global oil inventories deplete, the market continues to navigate the conflict. The administration's strategy to

Sources

• WSJ
  U.S. Says Oil Is Pouring Through Hormuz. Trackers Can’t Find It.
• The New York Times
  Opinion | Let Iran Control the Strait of Hormuz
• Al Jazeera
  Are ships passing Hormuz more willing to defy Iran or US? What data shows
• Axios
  U.S. conducting stealth operation to transport oil through Hormuz
• CNN
  How the US and Middle East allies flipped the oil script on Iran