Baier pushes back on Trump’s Strait of Hormuz claim: ‘Traffic has slowed … to a trickle’

Strait of Hormuz Traffic Plummets as Baier Challenges Trump’s Control Claims

Provpnadvice.com – Fox News anchor Bret Baier has publicly questioned President Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States maintains complete authority over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, pointing to dramatic reductions in maritime traffic as evidence that the waterway remains significantly constrained despite American military presence.

During Wednesday’s broadcast of “Special Report,” Baier highlighted that while the president has repeatedly declared total control over the critical shipping lane, actual vessel movement through the passage has diminished considerably. “Usually, about one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade moves through there as well,” Baier noted, emphasizing the strait’s importance to global energy markets. “Despite President Trump claiming total control over the strait, traffic has slowed, really, to a trickle if you look at this.”

Shipping Numbers Tell a Different Story

The data Baier presented paints a clear picture of disrupted commerce through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. According to his analysis, only fourteen vessels successfully navigated the strait on Tuesday, while just eight crossed on Monday. This represents a stark contrast to pre-conflict conditions, when more than one hundred ships daily traversed the passage without significant hindrance.

The Strait of Hormuz serves as a critical chokepoint for international energy trade, with approximately twenty percent of global liquefied natural gas shipments passing through its waters. Any disruption to this route has immediate consequences for energy prices worldwide, affecting everything from heating costs in Europe to industrial operations in Asia.

Energy Supply Deficit Widens

Baier connected the shipping slowdown to broader energy market concerns, noting that reduced vessel movement is altering governmental projections for energy availability. “Now, those are constraints, and it’s changing the government’s energy outlook,” he explained, pointing to additional complications emerging in global supply chains.

The International Energy Agency has revised its projections downward, reporting that global crude oil inventories declined by 2.2 million barrels per day throughout July. Looking ahead, the agency anticipates a worldwide supply shortfall of 1.8 million barrels daily during the third quarter—a figure exceeding its earlier forecast by more than one hundred percent.

Trump’s Position and Naval Strategy

President Trump has maintained his stance on American dominance over the passage, telling reporters on Tuesday, “We totally control the Strait of Hormuz.” He elaborated further, stating, “We have control over it. Nobody else. Only us. Our Navy is unbelievable, and things are going great for our country.”

Over the course of a six-month period of tension, Trump has deployed American naval forces to establish a blockade within the strait on two separate occasions. The president has consistently argued that these deployments demonstrate U.S. supremacy in regulating the flow of oil exports from the Middle East region.

Iran’s Response and Conditions

Iranian authorities have firmly rejected claims of complete American control over the waterway. Following a nearly two-week exchange of actions with the United States, Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz, reversing its earlier decision to reopen the passage as part of an interim peace agreement signed in June.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, Iran’s official maritime body, issued a statement on the social media platform X on Wednesday, declaring that “claiming who owns it does not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.”

Shipping Patterns and Economic Pressure

Trade intelligence firm Kpler provided additional detail on vessel movements, reporting that between Friday and Sunday, thirty-two ships successfully passed through the strait. Of these, seventeen utilized what Kpler identified as Iran’s designated transit route, while ten followed paths categorized as “undetermined,” suggesting continued uncertainty in navigation patterns.

The White House has increasingly turned to economic measures as a tool for bringing Iran back to negotiations. Administration officials believe that Iran’s economy has suffered substantial damage from multiple factors beyond the strait closure, including rising inflation rates and deteriorating living conditions for citizens.

An assessment conducted by the Pentagon, as previously documented, estimated that the initial blockade imposed approximately 4.8 billion dollars in losses on Iranian oil revenues—a significant financial blow to the country’s primary source of foreign income.

Global and Domestic Price Impacts

The disruption to the strait has rippled through energy markets worldwide, affecting both crude oil and refined products. Brent crude, the international pricing benchmark, saw futures trading below 87 dollars per barrel. Meanwhile, the American standard, West Texas Intermediate, was quoted at slightly above 81 dollars per barrel.

For American consumers, the effects have been visible at the pump. The national average price for gasoline rose to 4.07 dollars per gallon on Thursday, representing a four-cent increase from Wednesday and a twenty-cent jump compared to the monthly average, according to AAA fuel price data.

As diplomatic efforts continue, the tension between American assertions of control and Iranian resistance to reopening the strait suggests that the passage may remain a focal point of geopolitical and economic pressure for months to come. The human and financial costs of this ongoing dispute continue to accumulate on both sides, with global energy markets serving as both casualty and bargaining chip in the broader confrontation.