President Donald Trump has claimed that the United States carried out a secret mission to support oil tankers and commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in more than 100 million barrels of oil and over 200 ships safely passing through the strategic waterway.
In a post on his social media platform on Wednesday, Trump said he had directed the US military last month to execute the covert operation amid the ongoing war involving Iran.
He wrote that the mission enabled ‘more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil’ to reach the open market and allowed ‘more than 200 Commercial Ships’ to transit the strait safely.
ABC News said it could not immediately verify the accuracy of Trump’s claims or the figures relating to the volume of oil and number of vessels involved.
Trump details alleged operation
Earlier on Wednesday at the Oval Office, Trump referred to what he described as US efforts to facilitate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
He claimed that 22 ships carrying millions of barrels of oil had recently passed through the strait during a night-time operation conducted without lights.
Trump also asserted that Iran had not been aware of the operation until recently, adding that he was only revealing details because Iranian authorities had allegedly already discovered it.
Claims linked to wider shipping coordination
In his later social media post, Trump described the effort as ‘wildly successful’ and said it demonstrated that the United States, rather than Iran, controlled the Strait of Hormuz.
Reports since last month have indicated that the US Navy has assisted ships navigating through the waterway. However, US officials have said these activities did not represent a revival of Project Freedom, the short-lived initiative to escort commercial vessels through the strait.
Instead, officials described the effort as a coordination arrangement in which shipping companies could contact US Central Command and receive guidance on safe transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Previous reports cited coordinated assistance
The coordination initiative was first reported by The New York Times.
ABC News also confirmed the newspaper’s report that, as of late last month, approximately 70 commercial ships had been guided through the strait.
According to The New York Times, many vessels participating in the transit switched off their transponders to avoid detection while using the designated passageways.
Speaking at the Oval Office event, Trump said he had chosen to disclose the previously undisclosed operation because, in his view, Iranian authorities had already ‘figured it out’, allowing him to speak publicly about it.
