US claims control of Hormuz as 100 million oil barrels pass under protection

The United States has effectively taken control of the Strait of Hormuz and quietly protected the movement of more than 100 million barrels of oil through the strategic waterway despite tensions with Iran, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said.

Speaking at US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Florida on Wednesday (Local time), Hegseth unveiled new details of what he described as a largely undisclosed maritime operation aimed at keeping one of the world's most important energy corridors open while maintaining pressure on Tehran.

"Project Freedom -- the idea of running ships through the Strait of Hormuz -- it never stopped, it just went underground," Hegseth said. "There are some things the public knows and some things the public doesn't know, but ultimately, we've been protecting commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz."

According to the Pentagon chief, the operation has allowed more than 100 million barrels of oil to transit the narrow waterway under American protection.

"Ultimately, we've been protecting commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz as the president announced, to the tune of over a hundred million barrels that have moved through and more in the middle of the night, protected by the United States in a way that Iran can't stop," Hegseth said. "They can't see it, and they can't stop it."

The secretary linked the mission to a broader US effort to restrict Iranian oil exports while safeguarding international shipping.

CENTCOM said separately on Wednesday that US forces disabled another tanker attempting to transport Iranian oil. The Palau-flagged tanker M/T Settebello was struck after its crew repeatedly ignored instructions from American forces while transiting the Gulf of Oman.

According to CENTCOM, US forces have disabled eight non-compliant vessels since the blockade began in April, redirected 134 ships and permitted 42 vessels carrying humanitarian assistance to proceed.

Hegseth argued that American military operations had fundamentally altered the balance of power in the Gulf.

"If our blockade is ironclad, which it is, and we are able to move commercial shipping in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, who controls the Strait of Hormuz?" he asked. "The United States of America controls the Strait of Hormuz."

He said US forces had combined maritime operations with military action against Iranian capabilities.

"Add that to what the United States military with Central Command did to their navy, to their air force, to their air defences, to their power projection capabilities," Hegseth said. "We know exactly on this ledger who's on the strong end and who is not."