Key facts
- Approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.
- US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated Iranian mines are delaying the full normalization of oil transport.
- Donald Trump claimed a "secret mission" escorted tankers out of the strait at night with transmitters off.
- Lloyd's List reported US overwatch operations are assisting "shadow transits" of tankers.
- The US will ensure oil shipments continue through the Strait of Hormuz regardless of an agreement with Iran.
Approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil have transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, according to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Wright stated at the Reuters Global Energy Forum in New York that Iranian mines are responsible for slowing the return to normal shipping levels in the strategic waterway.
President Donald Trump has claimed the U.S. has been conducting a "secret mission" to help Gulf petrostates bypass Iran's blockade on oil flows. He stated that dozens of tankers had been escorted out of the blockaded channel at night with their transmitters off, and later posted on Truth Social that 200 vessels had exited this way, transporting over 100 million barrels of oil.
However, Trump's energy secretary, Chris Wright, told a congressional hearing he was unaware of the U.S. helping get millions of barrels out, though he did confirm the military had assisted in getting some oil out of the strait. Reporting from multiple news outlets suggests Iran is likely aware of these operations, with recent accounts detailing tankers being shepherded out of the waterway at night with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmitters switched off.
According to Lloyd's List, the U.S. has been supporting these "shadow transits" through "overwatch operations" using autonomous vehicles, aircraft, and drones. Vessels reportedly transfer their cargoes to other waiting tankers undetected before returning to the Gulf to reload. Analysts at Lloyd's List recorded 36 transits between June 1 and June 7, with 17 being "dark" and 19 traceable, though they caution that tracking "dark" transits is difficult.
Wright affirmed that the U.S. will ensure oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz continue, even if no agreement is reached with Iran.