That sounds nothing like complete control.
On Thursday, AAA put the national average price of gasoline at $4.10 a gallon. They say that is the highest figure they have recorded for that date. One year ago the average was $3.13.
Crude oil is currently nearly $80 a barrel. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping in March, two days into the war Donald Trump started in Iran. The strait reopened in June and closed again in July.
On April 2, we reported that Trump said other countries “should take the lead in protecting the oil they so desperately depend on.”
Since May, United States warships have escorted tankers through a corridor along Oman’s coast. Central Command says the Navy has helped more than a thousand ships pass.
CNN reported this morning that Saudi, Kuwaiti, Qatari, and Emirati oil companies charter these tankers to sail with their transponders switched off, avoiding Iranian drone attacks. That crude goes to China, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Kpler counted 84 loaded crude tankers crossing the strait since July 7. Seventy-two of them sailed dark. Daily crossings barely reach double digits. Before the war the strait carried about 130 a day.
On Wednesday, Trump said: “We have possession, complete control of the strait.”
American sailors guard darkened ships carrying oil for other nations. Americans pay $4.10 per gallon.
That sounds nothing like complete control.
Notes To My Future Self 