ShippingTelegraph: Trump reveals ‘secret mission’ that moved 100 million barrels of oil via Hormuz

Published by ShippingTelegraph

US president Donald Trump intensified his pressure campaign against Iran on Thursday, vowing that the United States will “at some point in the not too distant future” seize Kharg Island and other key Iranian oil infrastructure, effectively assuming “total control” of the country’s energy markets.

The comments mark a dramatic escalation in the administration’s maximum-pressure strategy and signal a potential shift from economic sanctions to direct military action.

European allies expressed concern over the escalating rhetoric, with the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas warning that a return to full-scale war would come at a tremendous cost to the entire region.

“There is a fragile pause now, and hopefully parties will reach an agreement soon,” Kallas told reporters on Tuesday. “A continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz is unacceptable. Its repercussions extend far beyond the region, disrupting the global economy and threatening food supplies.”

Trump said in a Truth Social post that the U.S. military will attack Iran “VERY HARD” tonight and threatened to take “total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets as the U.S. did in Venezuela earlier this year.

“At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their oil and gas markets, much like we have with Venezuela,” Trump wrote.

Trump also gave out the details of what he called a “secret mission” through a social media post on Wednesday.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump said that the US executed a secret mission through which over 200 commercial ships travelled through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Last month, I directed our great U.S. military to execute a secret mission to support oil tankers and other commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 million barrels of oil making its way through the Strait, and into the open market. More than 200 commercial ships have safely traveled through the Strait. This wildly successful effort is because the United States of America controls the Strait of Hormuz – Not Iran. Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran,” he added.

UN secretary-general António Guterres has said that restrictions on the rights and freedoms of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas are causing hardship and instability across the world.

Guterres wrote on his X account on Thursday, June 11, that even in the best-case scenario, the consequences of this situation would last for months, and developing countries would suffer the heaviest impacts.

The UN secretary-general has called for a full ceasefire and the restoration of rights and freedoms of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.

“The world needs a complete ceasefire, with navigational rights and freedoms restored, in line with international law,” he said.