Trump says US helped move oil through Strait of Hormuz as reports say operation was already public

US President Donald Trump has said the United States secretly helped move more than 100 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that is central to global energy trade. He said the operation involved commercial vessels travelling at night without lights, and suggested Iran was unaware of the effort. The remarks were made in the Oval Office and later repeated in a social media post.

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The latest reporting says the operation was not entirely secret, and had already been publicly disclosed weeks earlier. Citing a senior US military official, one report said US Central Command had been helping commercial vessels transit the strait while taking precautions to avoid detection. It said more than 200 ships had been guided through the waterway over the past month, up from around 70 vessels reported earlier.

The material also says some ships switched off their transponders and used routes farther from Iran's coastline, reducing the risk of attacks from Iranian drones or missiles. Shipping analysts said vessels appeared to be travelling closer to Omani waters. The claim comes against a backdrop of heightened concern over maritime security in the strait, where any disruption can affect shipping costs, insurance and energy markets.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important oil transit routes, with figures cited in the supplied material saying about one-fifth of global oil consumption passes through it. That makes any military or political claim about access to the route significant well beyond the region. The latest comments also place the US role at the centre of a wider contest over who can secure passage through the waterway.

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The supporting material says the operation followed US military action that had degraded Iran's ability to monitor maritime traffic. It also notes that the reported shipping activity included commercial vessels moving in conditions designed to reduce visibility. The issue matters because it links military pressure, maritime protection and global energy supply in a single developing story.

What remains unclear is the exact nature of the US assistance, including whether it amounted to escorting ships, intelligence support or another form of help. It is also not clear how many voyages were directly affected, or how much of the traffic through the strait was coordinated with Iran rather than the US. Further official detail would be needed to confirm the full scale of the operation and its impact on shipping.

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