U.S. Conducting Successful 'Stealth Operation' in the Strait of Hormuz: Report
The United States is moving oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz even as Iran refuses to come to the table for peace talks.
A new report from Axios said that between 15 and 20 tankers per night have navigated the strait for the past several weeks. About 10 million barrels of oil are shipped out per day, which is roughly half of the pre-war level.
Tankers come in empty with a U.S. military escort and then leave full with oil from nations that are working with the U.S.
The U.S. has total control of the Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/rQmSm8oWdV
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) August 19, 2026
“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,” a U.S. official said.
The report said a task force operated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is working with Arab nations in the Persian Gulf region to assemble a convoy of tankers going in and out along a southern channel in the strait, while American fighter jets patrol to down any Iranian missiles or drones. Eight drones and two missiles were recently downed.
The report said the foundation for the operation was laid during American attacks that degraded Iranian radar and other systems. Although Iran launches missiles, it is firing blind.
“There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz,” President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
“It’s a waste of time to negotiate with them,” he added.
“The Iranians still have some fight left, but overall they are a shell of themselves,” Trump said.
Trump has said on Truth Social that he will punish any nation trading with Iran.
“The Islamic Republic is exporting zero oil, while not a single dollar of its promised frozen funds has been released, admits Central Bank governor.”
See below 👇 https://t.co/0lpAqmhduH
— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) August 20, 2026
“No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a Deal than me. TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it. Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” Trump posted.
“Today, I am also announcing that ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” he wrote.
NEW: President Trump is turning up the pressure on Iran, announcing what he calls the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY.”
“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.”
“I am also announcing that ANY country that allows… pic.twitter.com/Z8OQbGOv3I
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 20, 2026
“Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are. This will be an ECONOMIC D-DAY, and we need all of our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat,” he posted.
“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump posted.
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