US and Iran contradict each other over the Strait of Hormuz
When two adversaries say diametrically opposite things about the same events, truth becomes a hostage to information warfare. In one of the narrowest and most strategic straits in the world, where every vessel is a potential challenge, every statement is a weapon. The US says tankers are moving; Iran says traffic has stopped. Who is right? In this standoff, where reality is intertwined with propaganda, the risks to the global economy are becoming ever more tangible.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that oil tankers continue to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite heightened tensions, and that America is closely monitoring large tanker movements and will take action to ensure the free flow of oil regardless of Iran's cooperation.
Wright also said public reports that much of the shipping through the strait had stopped in recent days were "simply not true." Meanwhile, Iran's semi official Fars news agency, citing a source in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, reported on Sunday that shipping through the strait had fallen to zero and that vessel movement had now completely stopped, warning that any attempt to pass through the waterway would be met with Iranian strikes. According to the report, as long as the United States continues its "hostile and provocative actions", the strait will remain closed, and Iran will not issue passage permits to any vessel.
As Iran's semi official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, the IRGC navy issued a statement claiming that four "violating vessels", with US support, had switched off their navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings from the IRGC navy, attempting to transit the strait via an "unsafe route." As a result, two vessels stopped after an accident and two others abandoned the transit, the statement said. The IRGC navy stressed that it maintains "full control" over the Strait of Hormuz, and that the only permitted passage is the designated safe shipping lane announced by Iranian authorities.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical oil chokepoints, through which about 20% of global oil supplies pass in peacetime. In recent days, tensions in the region have sharply escalated: the US is striking Iranian military and infrastructure targets, while Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in the region.
As CCTV+ reports. The contradictory statements from both sides make the situation even more unpredictable, with any real data on shipping becoming a matter of fierce information dispute.
