President Donald Trump noted a critical and strategic area in the Middle East is “in great shape” as images of burning oil tankers in the region were posted online.
Trump spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as the Persian Gulf burned, further jeopardizing global fuel supplies that are causing Republicans cost-of-living headaches.
The Strait of Hormuz provides the only access to the Persian Gulf and is critical for ships carrying oil to enter and exit. The conflict in the region has seen oil prices soar since the beginning of the war, as 20 percent of the global oil supply passes through the Strait.
When asked about the price of oil after appearing at a rally in Maryland on Wednesday, Trump bragged about the Strait and of Iran’s apparent lack of control, despite intelligence reports suggesting the Iranian government is intact.
“We’re going to look very strongly at the Straits,” the president said, appearing to reference the Strait of Hormuz. “The Straits are in great shape, we’ve knocked out all of their boats. They have some missiles but not many. I think we’re in very good shape.”
Trump added Iran is “pretty much at the end of the line... they have no systems of control. We’re just riding free-range over that country.”
Trump’s claim the Strait is “great” comes after two foreign oil tankers were struck by Iranian underwater drones in Iraq’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday. The attack killed at least one crew member, with 38 others rescued.
Iran claimed responsibility for the attacks according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. It also claimed that the U.S. should prepare for $200 barrels of oil in defiance of Trump’s claims that his war is won.
The Strait of Hormuz, had become a “battlefield of its own making,” Kaitlan Collins said on Wednesday‘s The Source. The CNN host said 30 ships in the region were attacked on Wednesday alone.
Iraq’s Ministry of Oil called the attacks on the tankers in the maritime routes in the Persian Gulf “a worrying indicator of escalating tensions” and said the energy supply lines “must remain free from regional conflicts and rivalries.”
There are now 12 ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, down from its daily average of 60, according to hormuzstraitmonitor.com.
Wednesday’s attacks follows U.S. attacks on 16 Iranian minelaying vessels and multiple Iranian warships near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
The president’s surprise war on Iran has cost cash-strapped U.S. taxpayers over $11.3 billion dollars in its first week.
The Pentagon briefed Congress about the estimated cost of “Operation Epic Fury” earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.
