President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had reached record levels and predicted a continued fall in global oil prices, offering an optimistic assessment of US-Iran relations during a speech in Medora, North Dakota. Trump made the remarks while dedicating the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, weaving foreign policy claims into a wider address on American economic revival.

Trump's Claims on Hormuz Traffic

“Those boats are coming out of the Hormuz Strait. They’re coming out by numbers that nobody ever saw. We’re setting records actually,” Trump said. The president offered no independent data or official figures to substantiate the claim, and the assertion has not been verified by shipping industry bodies or energy market analysts.

On oil prices, Trump was equally emphatic. “The oil is dropping,” he said. “I don’t give a damn if they’re happy or sad, I want the prices to go down. And the oil is dropping like nobody thought possible. But I told you it would. Total control, we have total control of everything.”

Brief Reference to Iran

Trump also touched on Iran while discussing US foreign policy, though he offered little detail. “We’re actually doing equally as well with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Maybe you’ve heard of it,” he said, without elaborating on the state of negotiations or diplomatic contacts.

The remarks come amid ongoing international scrutiny of US-Iran tensions, which have periodically threatened to disrupt energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most strategically critical oil transit chokepoints.

Why the Strait of Hormuz Matters

The Strait of Hormuz, situated between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, carries a significant share of the world’s traded crude oil and liquefied natural gas. Any disruption to shipping through the waterway is closely monitored by global energy markets and major oil-importing nations, including India, China, and Japan. Trump’s assertion of record traffic, if accurate, would signal a notable easing of tensions that had previously rattled energy traders.

Broader Address: 'Golden Age of America'

The Hormuz remarks were part of a wide-ranging speech in which Trump repeatedly pivoted between honouring Theodore Roosevelt and promoting his administration’s domestic and foreign policy record. He linked lower energy prices to what he described as a broader economic resurgence.

“This is just the beginning of the Golden Age of America,” Trump said. “America is going to experience something that I can truly say, I believe the best is yet to come.” He also argued that the United States had regained international standing, claiming other nations now viewed Washington differently than before.

What to Watch

Independent shipping data and energy market reports will be key to verifying Trump’s claims about Hormuz traffic. Analysts and oil-importing nations will also be watching for any concrete developments in US-Iran diplomacy, given that the strait’s security remains a central variable in global crude pricing.