Trump Says US Has 'Total Control' of Strait of Hormuz — But Shipping Data Tells a Different Story

Get Market Alerts

Weekly insights + SMS alerts

President Donald Trump recently claimed the U.S. has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping data suggests commercial traffic through the waterway remains severely constrained.

Marine Traffic Falls

According to data analytics firm Kpler on Monday, maritime traffic through the waterway on August 31st fell 50%, with five confirmed crossings. "Four vessels entered the Middle East Gulf and one exited, using a mix of Iranian, Omani and negotiated routes," Kpler said.

Two vessels, among the total ships, were shadow vessels, while one vessel was sanctioned. Shadow vessels are vessels that utilize deceptive practices like turning off transponders or transporting sanctioned goods to bypass scrutiny from authorities.

The data comes as the U.S. is grappling with high energy costs, with the national average price of gas at $4.1436/gallon on Thursday, according to data provided by the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Notably, analysts from Kpler had earlier said that Iran had "partially" lost control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying that ships were taking the Omani route out of the waterway.

According to data from maritime shipping tracker Marine Traffic on Thursday at press time, only a handful of ships were passing through the waterway. The publicly visible tracking data appears to contrast with Trump's claims about U.S. control over the Strait, which he recently suggested should be renamed to the "Trump Strait."

Notably, officials from the Trump administration had claimed that the U.S. was helping the movement of vessels through the Strait. Vice President JD Vance said that the U.S. had moved oil, which was earlier also said by Trump's Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who pushed back against analyst estimates, saying it did not reflect the reality in the region, adding that 30 ships had passed through the waterway.

Tensions Escalate

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated following the U.S. announcing new sanctions on Iran, touting it as an "economic D-Day" for the country. Meanwhile, Trump also ordered strikes on Iran on Sunday as the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it targeted IRGC positions that were reportedly going to mine the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump also reportedly adopted a "tanker for tanker" approach, targeting parked Iranian government tankers in the region. Iran, in response, carried out its strikes on U.S. assets in the region, while also criticizing Washington's strikes on the city of Kuhestak that claimed the lives of 4 people, including a child, when a missile struck a wedding ceremony in the city. It also left more than 50 people injured.

Stock Market News

Trump Says US Has 'Total Control' of Strait of Hormuz — But Shipping Data Tells a Different Story

Get Market Alerts

Marine Traffic Falls

Tensions Escalate

More News

Stock Futures Point Higher as Trump Predicts More Records, But September Looms: AVGO, SNOW, HPE, LULU in Focus