Strait of Hormuz Traffic Falls to Recent Low as Trump Again Claims US Has 'Total Control'

According to Al Jazeera, in a report published Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (21 Mordad 1405), US President Donald Trump again claimed in a Truth Social post that the United States has "total control" of the Strait of Hormuz, describing Washington's naval blockade of Iranian ports as "a wall of steel." The claim came as, according to Reuters citing ship tracking data from Kpler, just eight vessels transited the strait on Tuesday, August 11, far below both the recent ten day average of about twelve ships a day and the pre war rate of roughly 130 to 140 ships a day. A separate report by Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Al Jazeera and Kpler, put the same week's total at 84 vessels, with only nine crossing in a single day.

Iran has said it will not allow the strait to reopen fully until the United States ends its naval blockade, lifts sanctions and unfreezes Iran's assets. Al Jazeera also reported that on Tuesday the US military fired from a Navy helicopter at the Panama flagged cargo vessel Vela Nova, which it said was attempting to breach the blockade of Iranian ports.