Trump said in a social media post that the United States military helped get 100 million barrels of oil through the strait without Iran's knowledge.Show Caption
President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has been conducting a "secret mission" to help oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in 100 million barrels of oil reaching the market amid a standoff with Iran over the waterway that has sparked renewed hostilities."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 said in a June 10 social media post. "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."The military mission has helped prevent oil prices from spiking further, Trump said during a June 10 Oval Office event where he downplayed concerns about rising inflation, which hit 4.2% in May. Iran's chokehold on the strait, which carried about 20% of the world's oil supply before the war, has roiled the global economy and frustrated Trump as works to secure a deal to end the conflict."We've been taking out millions of barrels of oil? Nobody knows it. You know who doesn't know? Iran until right now," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding the ships have been moving through the strait "late at night with no lights."The president said in his social media post that 200 commercial ships have "traveled safely through the Strait" and that the "UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz." American military forces have been clashing with Iran over the strait in recent days, though, and Reuters reported late last month that shipping traffic continues to be limited and well below pre-war levels.Iran shot down an American Apache helicopter near the strait on June 8, prompting American forces to retaliate with attacks on "air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz," according to U.S. Central Command.The strikes are the latest in a series of military actions from both sides in recent days that have further complicated Trump's efforts to end the war, which hit the 100-day mark this week. Trump announced a ceasefire in April and has been pushing for Iran to agree to a deal that would reopen the strait and end its nuclear program, repeatedly suggesting an agreement could be reached soon.Negotiations have stalled, though, and Trump said June 10 that more attacks are coming, announcing in a social media post that Tehran has "taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"Trump later said during an Oval Office event that "We're going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard.""We hit them hard yesterday, and we're going to hit them again hard today," Trump said. "And we'll see what happens with the deal. We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along. They keep playing us for suckers."Contributing: Joey Garrison
