Trump: Oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has returned to previous levels

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz has returned to pre-war levels. Trump posted a photo on his Truth Social platform with the caption “Return of oil flow in the Strait of Hormuz to previous levels,” noting that 20 million barrels passed through the strait daily before the war, compared to 18 million currently. The US network CNN reported on Tuesday that 18 million barrels of oil had passed through the vital waterway. The network quoted informed US officials as saying that “the US military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.” The two officials added that “the US military used a range of air and naval assets and repelled waves of drones during the ship escort operations.” According to CNN, the two officials said that US forces neutralized anti-ship cruise missiles during the escort operation on Tuesday.