Trump Says U.S. Military Secretly Assisted Over 200 Merchant Ships Through the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 10th that the U.S. military has “secretly” helped more than 200 merchant ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Odaily, Trump wrote on social media that he ordered the military last month to carry out a secret mission to support oil tankers and other merchant vessels transiting the strait. Trump said the operation enabled more than 100 million barrels of oil to pass through the strait and enter the open market, and that more than 200 merchant ships crossed safely. He also said the United States, not Iran, controls the Strait of Hormuz. In early May, the U.S. military launched a “Freedom Plan” aimed at facilitating passage for ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, but Trump soon announced the operation was suspended. U.S. media reported that the plan was not coordinated in advance with Gulf allies, leading to dissatisfaction from Saudi Arabia, which reportedly refused U.S. forces access to Saudi bases and airspace. Trump has since repeatedly said he may resume the “Freedom Plan.” The New York Times reported on May 31, citing anonymous U.S. officials, that the U.S. military had “quietly” guided about 70 merchant ships through the strait over the previous three weeks.