Vance says US moving up to 15M barrels daily through Hormuz despite Iran blockade

Vice President JD Vance confirmed on August 20 that the United States is moving up to 15 million barrels of oil per day through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran's ongoing blockade, calling the effort a direct counter to Tehran's attempt to weaponize global energy markets.

"We are actually preventing an energy crisis that the Iranians are trying to create," Vance said, noting that daily volumes fluctuate between 7 million and 15 million barrels depending on the day.aa

A Covert Corridor Through the Southern Channel

The remarks followed an Axios report on August 19 revealing that the US military has quietly established a protected shipping corridor through the strait's southern channel along the coast of Oman. Under the operation, which has been underway for several weeks, 15 to 20 tankers enter and exit the strait each night under American military protection.axios

US officials told Axios that average daily exports through the corridor have been growing and are now close to 10 million barrels — roughly half the pre-war volume that flowed through Hormuz before Iran declared the strait closed on February 28. The coordination unit for the operation runs from the US Army headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with US Air Force fighter jets defending convoys against Iranian drones and cruise missiles.thedailyjagran+1

The operation became possible after US Central Command degraded Iran's radar and maritime surveillance systems during a two-week campaign, severely limiting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' visibility into the southern channel.thedailyjagran

America's Own Oil Buffer Under Strain

While the corridor keeps global crude flowing, the effort has come at a domestic cost. The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 293.4 million barrels as of August 14 — its lowest level since 1982, according to the Department of Energy. The stockpile now sits at roughly 41% of its authorized 714-million-barrel capacity, having declined by about 122 million barrels since mid-March when President Trump authorized emergency releases as part of a broader International Energy Agency effort.aa

Commercial crude inventories have also tightened. The Energy Information Administration reported that stocks stood at 424.4 million barrels as of early August, about 2% below their five-year average, after a cumulative draw of 44 million barrels between May and July driven by surging exports and record refinery demand.aa

Strategic Leverage and Remaining Risks

Vance framed the oil corridor as undermining Iran's geopolitical position. "It also shows that the Iranians don't have this ability to choke off international trade, which reduces their leverage," he said. The EIA expects most shut-in Middle Eastern production to return near pre-conflict levels in early 2027, though about 600,000 barrels per day of disruption could persist through year-end.news.meaww+1