WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States had “virtually total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, while claiming that oil shipments through the strategically important waterway had reached historic levels in recent days.
“We have virtually total control of the Hormuz Strait,” Trump said during a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the White House.
Trump claimed that more oil had passed through the strait over the previous three days than at any other time in its history.
“In fact, in the last three days, more oil has come out of the Hormuz Strait than at any time in the history of the Hormuz,” the US President said.
Trump on Iran:
We have almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/DytfH3ReUS
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 30, 2026
Trump also said that “things will happen very soon” in Iran, while describing the country’s economy as weak and affected by high inflation.
Trump repeated his claim that Iran’s military had been “totally wiped out” and said the war would soon be won. “We’re going to have that war won very quickly, one way or the other,” he said.
UKMTO Reports Tankers Hit in Hormuz
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said that unknown projectiles struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.
A crude oil tanker, an LNG tanker and a third vessel had each “been struck by an unknown projectile”, UKMTO said.
UKMTO WARNING 146
Click here to view the full warning.⤵️https://t.co/bkawhbbEY2#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/CdkvHESQPo
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) September 30, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz is currently at the centre of the Middle East war between Iran and the United States.
Around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strategic shipping lane before the war.
But since the conflict broke out, Tehran has been blocking the passage of commercial ships, firing on vessels.
Washington has responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports in an effort to prevent Tehran from exporting its oil.
Oil Prices Surge
Meanwhile, oil prices surged and were on track for a big monthly gain as US-Iran talks aimed at ending the war stall and tight fuel markets continue to underpin prices despite recovering Middle East crude supplies, Reuters reported.
The Brent futures November contract was up 57 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $103.16 a barrel as of 0944 GMT (2:44pm PKT). The more active December contract is up 94 cents to $97.10.
US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 82 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $90.20.
