US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on 22 August said the US Navy had helped move more than 15 million barrels of oil and petroleum products through the Strait of Hormuz in a single day, offering the clearest official estimate yet of the recovery in traffic through the world's most critical oil chokepoint. When volumes transported via regional pipelines were included, total outflows from the Gulf region climbed to approximately 20 million barrels, Wright said.

Current Flow Levels

The seven-day average of oil moving through the strait has risen above 8 million barrels per day, according to Wright, who made the disclosure in a social media post. “Make no mistake, thanks to the U.S. Navy, oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Wright’s reference to 15 million barrels reflected a single day’s movement on Tuesday rather than a sustained daily average. His separate seven-day figure of more than 8 million barrels a day provides a more reliable indicator of the ongoing recovery in traffic.

How Far Flows Have Recovered

The improvement marks a sharp rebound from the second quarter of 2025, when the Iran conflict and restrictions on commercial shipping reduced average Hormuz oil flows to just 4.9 million barrels per day, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). However, traffic remains well below pre-conflict levels: approximately 21.6 million barrels per day moved through the strait in the final quarter of 2025, including crude oil, condensate, and refined petroleum products.

Before the conflict erupted, roughly 138 vessels passed through the strait daily. A large number of commercial ships subsequently anchored on either side of the passage, deterred by attacks, soaring insurance costs, and uncertainty over safe transit.

US Navy Operations and the Blockade

The US Navy has been escorting compliant commercial vessels through the southern shipping corridor. Some ships have been limiting or switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) broadcasts due to security concerns. The Trump administration has simultaneously maintained a blockade against vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

According to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which monitors shipping in the region, the Joint Maritime Information Center recorded 71 US-facilitated transits during the 48-hour period covering 18–19 August. A total of 1,081 facilitated transits have been recorded since 20 June. The daily facilitated transit rate rose from approximately 4.5 to 35.5 over the month ending 19 August, according to UANI’s assessment.

US forces had also redirected 67 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade as of Thursday, disabled three vessels that did not comply, and boarded two, UANI said.

Security Conditions Remain Volatile

UANI described the security environment as “highly volatile.” Two vessels were attacked in separate incidents on 18 August, following the expiration of an earlier memorandum of understanding. One seafarer was killed in those incidents, raising the total number of crew casualties reported during the conflict to 19, according to figures cited from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Why Hormuz Cannot Be Easily Bypassed

A Congressional Research Service report described the Strait of Hormuz as a central route for global oil and natural gas supplies, warning that alternative pipelines could carry only a fraction of normal volumes. The EIA estimates that Saudi and Emirati pipelines together can bypass Hormuz with a combined capacity of approximately 4.7 million barrels per day — far below the roughly 21 million barrels that previously transited the strait each day. This structural bottleneck underscores why the naval escort mission carries outsized consequences for global energy markets.

With flows still less than half of pre-conflict levels and security conditions fragile, the pace of further recovery will depend heavily on the trajectory of US-Iran tensions in the weeks ahead.