Aug 29, 2026

U.S. Claims Control of Strait of Hormuz; Skeptics Doubt the Numbers

46%

54%

46% Left — 54% Right

Estimated · This is a war-related credibility story where Americans generally distrust government claims of military success but also want to believe progress is being made, especially amid a costly foreign conflict. Independents and moderates tend to be skeptical of official wartime metrics (echoing Vietnam/Iraq-era 'body count' skepticism) while also giving some benefit of the doubt to visible, verifiable outcomes like mine-clearing and falling oil prices. The public is fairly split, with a slight lean toward crediting tangible results reported even by the lean-left Axios sourcing itself, but real polling on Iran conflict specifics is sparse, so this is largely an estimate based on general patterns of skepticism toward wartime claims balanced against desire for resolution.

EstimateThis is a war-related credibility story where Americans generally distrust government claims of military success but also want to believe progress is being made, especially amid a costly foreign conflict. Independents and moderates tend to be skeptical of official wartime metrics (echoing Vietnam/Iraq-era 'body count' skepticism) while also giving some benefit of the doubt to visible, verifiable outcomes like mine-clearing and falling oil prices. The public is fairly split, with a slight lean toward crediting tangible results reported even by the lean-left Axios sourcing itself, but real polling on Iran conflict specifics is sparse, so this is largely an estimate based on general patterns of skepticism toward wartime claims balanced against desire for resolution.

Helpful?

Left says

•Oil experts and tanker trackers cannot independently verify the volumes U.S. officials claim are flowing through the strait, raising questions about whether the administration is overstating progress for political effect.
•Attacks on tankers continue despite official assurances, including a strike on an oil tanker near Oman just hours after Treasury's sanctions announcement, undercutting claims that the waterway is truly secure.
•The economic pressure campaign, dubbed an 'economic D-Day,' was announced without firm timelines or deadlines, suggesting the tough rhetoric may outpace the substance of the policy.
•Iran has shown renewed diplomatic interest, sending mediators from Pakistan, Oman, and Qatar to Tehran, indicating a negotiated resolution remains possible if the U.S. engages seriously.

Right says

•The U.S. military has achieved a major milestone by clearing all Iranian sea mines from internationally recognized shipping lanes, restoring a critical global energy chokepoint.
•A sustained American bombing campaign, a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and cooperation from the UAE have systematically dismantled Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping.
•Oil traffic through the southern channel has grown substantially, with 20 to 30 tankers now moving nightly and momentum building toward pre-war export levels as Saudi Arabia and Qatar consider joining the protected route.
•Iran's diminished capacity to strike ships accurately, combined with mounting economic pressure, has left the regime privately seeking a deal on terms favorable to the United States rather than the other way around.

Common Take

High Consensus

The Strait of Hormuz has been a central point of leverage in the U.S.-Iran conflict since fighting began on February 28.
U.S. military operations, including mine-sweeping and a bombing campaign, have measurably reduced Iran's capacity to disrupt shipping compared to earlier in the war.
Oil volumes moving through the strait remain well below pre-war levels even as they have increased in recent months.
Diplomatic channels involving Oman, Qatar, and Pakistan remain active as both sides weigh a potential new negotiation.

Helpful?

The Arguments

Right argues

The U.S. military achieved a concrete, verifiable milestone by clearing over 200 mine-like objects from the internationally recognized shipping lane, with CENTCOM confirming the main traffic separation scheme is now free of Iranian mines.

Left counters

A cleared minefield doesn't mean a safe strait — a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile near Oman hours after the sanctions announcement, showing that physical danger to shipping persists regardless of the mine-sweeping success.

Left argues

Independent oil experts and tanker trackers cannot verify the administration's claimed volumes of 9-10 million barrels per day, and the Wall Street Journal reports trackers simply can't find oil at the levels U.S. officials describe, suggesting the numbers may be inflated for political effect.

Right counters

U.S. officials directly address this by saying trackers are undercounting due to the discreet, security-sensitive nature of the southern channel operation, and independently verifiable facts — like 500+ ships transiting in 30 days and only 2% hit — corroborate substantial real progress.

Right argues

Iran's own diminished strike capacity — with only 2% of transiting ships hit over the last month, down from a period of total blockade — combined with mounting economic pressure has left the regime quietly sending mediators to seek a deal, indicating the U.S. pressure campaign is working exactly as intended.

Left counters

Iranian officials publicly dispute the U.S. framing entirely, with Rezaee claiming Iran itself agreed to the southern channel and is compiling its own list of demands, suggesting this is a negotiated arrangement rather than an American conquest, not the one-sided capitulation being portrayed.

Left argues

The 'economic D-Day' sanctions rollout was announced without firm timelines or deadlines, and Treasury Secretary Bessent's vague framing didn't match the dramatic rhetoric, suggesting the administration is more focused on messaging than on a substantive, enforceable policy.

Right counters

Sanctions campaigns targeting global trade networks require flexible, evolving enforcement rather than rigid deadlines, and the announcement should be judged alongside the broader, verifiable pressure campaign — the naval blockade, bombing campaign, and mine-clearing — that has already yielded measurable results.

Left argues

Iran's renewed diplomatic outreach — sending mediators from Pakistan, Oman, and Qatar to Tehran — shows a negotiated resolution remains achievable, and it undercuts the administration's triumphalist framing that Iran is simply capitulating with no diplomatic track needed.

Right counters

The fact that Iran is the one sending mediators and requesting talks, while Trump publicly states he isn't interested in meeting, itself demonstrates the shifted balance of power the U.S. has been claiming — Iran is negotiating from weakness, not strength.

Challenge Questions

These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.

Right asks Left

“If tanker trackers can independently verify strikes on ships in the strait, why should their inability to verify oil volume figures be dismissed as simply a data-collection gap rather than treated as equally credible evidence against the administration's claims?”

Left asks Right

“If the strait is genuinely under U.S. control with Iran's strike capability crippled, why does the administration still describe the ongoing attacks on tankers as merely 'mild' rather than acknowledging they represent a continuing, unresolved threat to the security claims being made?”

Outlier Report

Left Fringe

Anti-war progressives and figures like Rep. Ilhan Omar or commentators at The Intercept who view the entire operation as illegitimate overreach and dismiss any claimed 'progress' as propaganda; roughly 15-20% of the left holds this more absolutist anti-war framing.

Right Fringe

Pro-Trump maximalists and commentators like Jack Posobiec or some America First voices who take official claims (mines cleared, Iran 'begging' for a deal) at full face value with no skepticism, treating this as an unambiguous total victory; roughly 20-25% of the right holds this uncritical stance.

Noise Assessment

Moderate-to-high noise; much of the loudest commentary comes from partisan media amplification (Blaze framing Axios as an 'admission,' anti-war accounts hyping tanker strikes) rather than reflecting where most ordinary Americans, who are largely disengaged from Hormuz specifics, actually stand.

Sources (7)

Blaze Media

Axios admits Trump has gained the upper hand in the battle for the Strait of Hormuz

<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/axios-admits-trump-has-gained-the-upper-hand-in-the-battle-for-the-strait-of-hormuz.jpg?id=67694133&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C75" /> Iran's most powerful piece of leverage against the U.S. is slipping through its hands, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/trump-iran-hormuz-war-oil" target="_blank">according</a> to the latest Axios assessment.The Iranian regime's stranglehold over the pivotal Strait of Hormuz has allowed it to resist demands from the Trump administration for a peace deal with terms favorable to the U.S.'They don't want us to go back at them. That's the whole ball game. The rest doesn't matter.'U.S. officials now tell Axios that they have gained the upper hand in the struggle to control the strait, which may lead to an end to the military operation."That sucker is open. The Iranian response is very mild," said Trump in a phone call Thursday to Axios. "They don't want us to go back at them. That's the whole ball game. The rest doesn't matter."The effort to reopen the strait despite the Iranian threat began after a memorandum of understanding <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-says-interim-peace-deal-with-tehran-is-over-after-iranian-strikes-theyre-scum" target="_blank">collapsed</a> in the peace negotiations in July.The U.S. military then <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/19/hormuz-iran-oil-gulf-trump" target="_blank">reportedly</a> began to quietly help transport about 10 million barrels a day through the strait by a southern channel near Oman. While the amount is about half of what it was before the strait was closed, it's a significant increase and a boon to the U.S. cause.The U.S. has also been able to cripple Iran's ability to strike at tankers after a two-week bombing campaign, according to Axios. A U.S. military mine-sweeping operation and aid from the United Arab Emirates have also improved Trump's advantage.<a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2093131928023023729" target="_blank">CENTCOM commander</a> Adm. Brad Cooper announced that they had reached a major milestone in the effort to wrestle control of the strait from Iran."Internationally recognized sea routes in the strait are free of Iranian sea mines. Bottom line: Today international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building," he said in a video Thursday.While some experts remain skeptical of the official tally of oil that can pass already, Axios noted many other signs that the U.S. is gaining ground against Iran.The president has repeatedly proclaimed that the ultimate goal of the operation is to keep the Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weapons."I don't want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal," Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117169795722157998" target="_blank">claimed</a> on social media Thursday.Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaee <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202608284956" target="_blank">denied</a> the claims and said that they had agreed to allow the southern channel near Oman. He added that the regime was compiling a list of demands to negotiate a peace deal. RELATED: <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/rubio-vance-interview-iran-strike" target="_blank">When Marco Rubio warned Iran that closing of Strait of Hormuz would be 'suicidal'</a> Brent crude oil was trading at about $72 a barrel before the military operation began and surged to over $111 at its worst in April. It <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Oil-Prices-Head-for-a-Weekly-Loss-Despite-Escalating-Iran-Tensions.html" target="_blank">opened</a> at just below $90 on Thursday.About a fifth of the world's oil trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz.The U.S.-Israeli joint military strikes against Iran began 6 months ago on Feb. 28.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a>!

RealClearPolitics

U.S. Gains the Upper Hand in the Battle for Hormuz

Axios

"That sucker is open": U.S. gains the upper hand in the battle for Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz has been Iran's most powerful card since the start of the war in late February. But over the past two months, U.S. officials say the American military has steadily <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/19/hormuz-iran-oil-gulf-trump" target="_blank">eroded</a> Iran's leverage over the crucial waterway.Why it matters: What began six months ago with the goal of degrading Iran's missile capabilities and destroying what remained of its nuclear program has <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/09/trump-iran-strait-hormuz-battle?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">evolved</a> into an open-ended fight over the world's most important energy chokepoint.<hr /><ul><li>U.S. officials say they've turned the tide in the strait and believe it could be a watershed moment in the war that brings not only gradual relief to the world economy, but also a better deal with Iran.</li><li>"That sucker is open. The Iranian response is very mild. They don't want us to go back at them. That's the whole ball game. The rest doesn't matter," President Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Thursday.</li></ul>Flashback: When the war began, the Strait of Hormuz was open, oil was flowing without interruption to global energy markets and Brent crude oil was trading at about $72 a barrel.Behind the scenes: Two Israeli officials say the move to close the Strait of Hormuz was initiated by then-commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, General Alireza Tangsiri. <ul><li>In the first 72 hours of the war, Iran announced it was closing the strait and warned it would attack tankers that tried to transit.</li><li>But behind the scenes, Tangsiri gave an order that dramatically escalated the situation: to deploy naval mines in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), the main international shipping lane through the strait, Israeli and U.S. officials say.</li><li>Tangsiri was killed three weeks later in an Israeli airstrike in Bandar Abbas, Iran.</li></ul>Driving the news: Iranian attacks on ships and the threat of mines brought commercial shipping to a standstill.<ul><li>In the next two months, Brent crude skyrocketed to as high as $126 a barrel. </li><li>Trump agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 partly in response to rising gas prices in the U.S. and pressure on energy markets — precisely the economic pain Iran wanted to inflict. </li><li>The reopening of the strait was the linchpin of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed two months later. </li><li>But the strait never fully opened and the deal soon collapsed. </li></ul>Zoom in: After the MOU fell apart, the military worked to reopen the strait unilaterally. The effort included several elements: <ul><li>Together with the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. military task force started guiding ships through the southern channel of the strait while giving them air cover and intercepting Iranian drone and cruise missile attacks. </li><li>A two-week U.S. bombing campaign significantly undercut the IRGC's capacity to attack ships crossing the strait. </li><li>A <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/25/hormuz-mines-remove-oil-iran-trump" target="_blank">mine-sweeping operation</a> involved Navy divers, Navy SEALs, underwater and surface drones, and private contractors to detect and neutralize the mines. </li><li>A blockade of Iranian ports was restored. </li></ul>Zoom out: While the number of ships that cross the strait — and the amount of oil exported from it — remain well below pre-war levels, the reality on the ground has improved. Iran has lost much of its control over the strait and the U.S. military is effectively controlling most of it, U.S. officials said.<ul><li>Iran is still firing at ships but its ability to target them accurately is limited. Only 2% of the ships that transited through the strait over the last month were hit, a U.S. official said.</li><li>More than 200 mine-like objects have been swept from the main lane of the strait. U.S. officials say only 11 of them were actual mines and just a few were properly deployed. </li><li>In recent weeks, traffic through the southern channel has grown to 20 to 30 tankers every night, carrying an average of 9 to 10 million barrels, per U.S. officials. That's roughly half the pre-war volume.</li><li>"We achieved a major milestone in the Strait of Hormuz. Internationally recognized sea routes in the strait are free of Iranian sea mines. Bottom line: Today international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building," CENTCOM commander <a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2093131928023023729" target="_blank">Adm. Brad Cooper</a> <a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2093131928023023729" target="_blank">said</a> in a video posted Thursday night.</li></ul>Yes, but: Oil experts and tanker trackers are <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/u-s-says-oil-is-pouring-through-hormuz-trackers-cant-find-it-306faebd" target="_blank">skeptical</a> that the actual figures are that high. U.S. officials say they're undercounting. <ul><li>Periodic <a href="https://www.ukmto.org/recent-incidents" target="_blank">reports</a> of oil tankers being struck by projectiles also raise questions about the safety of commercial shipping through the strait, despite U.S. assurances.</li></ul>The big picture: The U.S. oil export operation shows signs of momentum. The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait have already joined, and Saudi Arabia is also expected to. U.S. officials hope Qatar will soon start sending liquefied natural gas tankers through the U.S.-protected route. <ul><li>By mid-September, the U.S. hopes to widen the main channel of the strait so that at least 50 ships can transit in and out of the Gulf every night. </li><li>The goal is to reach 60 to 70 percent of pre-war oil exports. </li></ul>State of play: Two regional sources told Axios that in recent days Iran has shown renewed interest in negotiations.<ul><li>The commander of the Pakistani army visited Tehran on Sunday to try to revive the mediation between the U.S. and Iran. </li><li>He was followed later in the week by the foreign minister of Oman, who came to Tehran to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.</li><li>On Thursday, the prime minister of Qatar — a key mediator between Iran and the U.S. — arrived for talks in Tehran at Iran's request, the regional sources said. </li><li>At least in public, Iran has stuck to the same positions, demanding that the U.S. implement the MOU and offer terms for reopening the strait. </li></ul>The other side: At the moment, President Trump says he isn't interested in negotiating with Iran. "I don't want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal," Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. <ul><li>But White House envoy Steve Witkoff is still talking to the Qataris and to other mediators. </li><li>U.S. negotiators want to see if the U.S. blockade, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/24/bessent-dday-iran-secondary-sanctions" target="_blank">economic pressure</a> campaign and growing leverage in the strait will make Iran soften its positions. </li><li>U.S. officials believe shifting conditions in the strait give the Trump administration a stronger hand in any future negotiations with Iran. </li><li>They see the June 17 MOU, which focused partly on Hormuz, as no longer relevant. And they're treating <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/25/hormuz-mines-remove-oil-iran-trump" target="_blank">negotiations</a> between Oman and Iran on new arrangements for managing the strait as background noise.</li></ul>

Axios

Trump: Mines fully removed from Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. Navy has cleared all mines from the main shipping lane of the Strait of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/19/hormuz-iran-oil-gulf-trump" target="_blank">Hormuz</a>, President Trump said on Tuesday. Why it matters: The clearing, part of a low-key operation the last several months, will allow significantly more<a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/19/hormuz-iran-oil-gulf-trump" target="_blank"> oil tankers</a> to transit the strait.<hr /><ul><li>The removal of mines reduces Iran's leverage over global energy markets as well as in any future negotiations with the Trump administration. </li><li>It also makes the draft agreement that Iran and Oman have been negotiating for months far less relevant. </li></ul>What he's saying: "I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on Truth Social. <ul><li>Trump added that Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be "immediately and systematically destroyed."</li><li>He said the U.S. Space Force is closely monitoring the strait. "There is a Zero Tolerance policy on mine placement in full force and effect," Trump wrote. </li></ul>Behind the scenes: Two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed Trump's announcement and said the U.S. Navy has cleared the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) — the median lane of the strait that is right between Oman and Iran. <ul><li>Iran deployed dozens of mines in the median lane during the war, creating a huge danger for ships. It committed to remove the mines as part of the memorandum of understanding reached over the summer with the U.S. But the MOU unraveled and the mines were never removed. </li><li>Over the last several months, U.S. Navy underwater drones systematically scanned the area and located more than 100 objects that were suspected to be mines. </li><li>The U.S. military contracted with private companies to remove or detonate the mines. </li></ul>State of play: The clearing of the median lane in the Strait of Hormuz comes as the U.S. military has been using the southern lane close to the coast of Oman to move oil tankers in and out of the Gulf.<ul><li>U.S. officials say that in the last 30 days, more than 500 ships went in and out of the strait through the southern channel, with only around 2% of those hit by Iranian drones or missiles. </li><li>Now that the mines have been cleared, ships will be able to move simultaneously in both directions through the strait with protection from the U.S. Air Force, allowing the export of more oil to global energy markets. </li></ul>The big picture: Trump's announcement came as the foreign ministers of Iran and Oman were meeting in Tehran to negotiate an agreement for navigating the strait. They did not reach a deal.<ul><li>In a joint statement, Iran and Oman said they're discussing a framework to create a temporary joint corridor through the strait and clear mines, while holding technical talks on a permanent navigation route and the future administration of the Strait.</li><li>The two countries are also discussing a "mechanism for information exchange, traffic management, and the provision of relevant maritime and security services."</li><li>Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said after the meeting that he hopes Iran and Oman "will soon announce a temporary corridor for the Strait of Hormuz and practical arrangements to restore safe navigation."</li></ul>Yes, but: It's unclear whether an Omani-Iranian agreement would be relevant. <ul><li>The U.S. blockade is stopping Iranian ships from moving through the strait. And Trump's announcement today on mine removal — coupled with the fact that more and more tankers have been moving through the southern lane of the strait in recent weeks — means the U.S. is already getting much of what it wants in the strait.</li></ul>

The War Zone

Ship Struck In Strait Of Hormuz Hours After Trump’s “Economic D-Day” Campaign On Iran Unveiled

As the U.S. attempts once again to pressure Iran into negotiating, it seems like Iran has given its answer to the U.S. in the form of another strike in the strait. The post <a href="https://www.twz.com/news-features/ship-struck-in-strait-of-hormuz-hours-after-trumps-economic-d-day-campaign-on-iran-unveiled">Ship Struck In Strait Of Hormuz Hours After Trump’s “Economic D-Day” Campaign On Iran Unveiled</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.twz.com">TWZ</a>.

The Hill

Centcom says Iranian sea mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz transit routes

The U.S. military said Thursday that it has cleared all Iranian sea mines along internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz. In a video posted to the social platform X on Thursday evening, Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), said that “the U.S. military has achieved a major milestone in…

Axios

U.S. conducting stealth operation to transport oil through Hormuz

The U.S. military has quietly established a shipping corridor in and out of the Strait of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/09/trump-iran-interview" target="_blank">Hormuz</a> to transport millions of barrels of oil each day — a notable success even as the broader war remains at a stalemate, two U.S. officials told Axios.<ul><li>Under the operation, which has been underway for the last several weeks, 15–20 tankers have entered and exited the strait each night through a southern channel along the coast of Oman. </li><li>About 10 million barrels of oil a day — roughly half the pre-war volume — are being transported out of the strait and injected into the global energy market, the officials said.</li></ul><hr />Why it matters: The U.S.-led operation is mitigating one of the most painful aspects of the war: the disruption to oil supplies that sent crude prices soaring. While the amount of oil coming out of the strait is still below pre-war levels, it is making a discernible difference in global supplies, officials say.How it works: The effort goes beyond escorting outbound tankers with oil on board. The U.S. military is helping empty tankers enter the Gulf from the Arabian Sea through the strait, pick up oil from countries in the region, and then exit.<ul><li>The full details of the operation have not been previously reported.</li><li>"We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps can be a nuisance, but they don't control the strait. We do," one of the U.S. officials, who has direct knowledge of the matter, said.</li></ul>Behind the scenes: The task force overseeing the Hormuz effort is being run out of the Army headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. <ul><li>The task force is coordinating with regional Gulf partners. It creates a daily list of ships coming out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Arabian Sea, as well as a list of rented empty tankers that travel from the Arabian Sea, through the strait and into the ports of Gulf countries to pick up more oil.</li><li>Each night, the ships are scheduled to move in one big outbound line during a certain time slot and one big inbound line during a separate time slot. </li><li>The ships then transit through the southern channel based on U.S. military guidance.</li><li>The U.S. Air Force has fighter jets that protect against Iranian cruise missiles and drones. </li></ul>Zoom in: The operation was made possible by a recent two-week U.S. Central Command military campaign that degraded Iran's radar and maritime surveillance systems, the officials said. <ul><li>Iran has diminished visibility of the traffic in the southern channel of the strait. Its monitoring is limited to a few radars it managed to reconstitute as well as "spotters" in small IRGC fast boats, U.S. officials say. </li><li>Because the Iranians are mostly "blind," they are launching drones and cruise missiles in the general direction of where ships might be transiting.</li><li>Some ships have been hit by the Iranian attacks, but many were stopped by the U.S. military. Earlier this week, for example, U.S. forces shot down eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles, one of the U.S. officials said.</li></ul>State of play: U.S. officials say that over the past two weeks, 15–20 tankers transited in and out of the Strait of Hormuz each night through the southern channel, keeping the exports going. <ul><li>The average daily exports have been growing and are now close to 10 million barrels, U.S. officials say. </li><li>On some nights over the last few weeks, they note, the amount of oil moving out of the Gulf was 15 million–20 million barrels. </li><li>On one of the nights this week, more than 20 ships were slated to move in and out of the strait through the southern lane, with approximately 15 million barrels of oil potentially coming out, one of the officials said.</li></ul>What he's saying: "There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz," President Trump told Axios on Wednesday.<ul><li>He said the U.S. is not negotiating with Iran at the moment. "They are wasting time. It's a waste of time to negotiate with them," he said. </li><li>"The Iranians still have some fight left, but overall they are a shell of themselves," Trump said. </li></ul>Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that 15–20 tankers have entered and exited the strait each night.

This summary was generated by artificial intelligence and may contain errors or mischaracterizations. Always refer to the original sources for authoritative reporting.