US President Donald Trump has claimed that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have returned to near normal levels despite renewed military tensions with Iran.
Trump made the claim in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, sharing a graphic showing oil flows through the strategic waterway at 18m barrels per day, compared with 20m barrels per day before the conflict.
“Hormuz Oil Volumes are BACK!” Trump wrote.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major global oil route linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Before the war, about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products moved through the waterway each day.
Trump’s claim comes as shipping through the strait remains disrupted following renewed US-Iran hostilities.
Shipping data cited by Sky News showed that only four vessels passed through the strait on Tuesday, down from 10 the previous day and well below the 10-day average of 13 vessels.
Independent oil-tracking data has also indicated that actual volumes have fluctuated sharply.
TankerTrackers estimated that about 6.81m barrels of oil exited the Arabian Sea on September 1 and 4.63m barrels on September 2, although the figures include oil moving through Hormuz and alternative routes.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has separately claimed that 17m barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, describing it as the highest volume of crude to transit the waterway since the conflict disrupted flows.
The conflicting estimates reflect the difficulty of determining the volume of oil moving through the region as military operations, shipping restrictions and alternative export routes continue to affect traffic.
The renewed fighting has increased concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, particularly because of its importance to global energy supplies.
Oil prices rose on Thursday as traders assessed the latest US-Iran military exchanges and the possibility of further disruption to supplies through the waterway.
Brent crude climbed to around $97 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude traded above $92 a barrel.