The ripple effects of the joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes under Donald Trump on Iran nearly two weeks ago are now visible as escalating tensions disrupt maritime traffic near one of the world’s most important oil routes. Hundreds of tankers and container ships have stopped their voyages in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman as shipping firms avoid the strait due to growing security concerns. Crews and operators say they are unwilling to move through the strategic corridor without naval escorts or proper insurance coverage.
Addressing the situation on Wednesday, Donald Trump encouraged ship captains to move forward, telling them to sail “full steam ahead.” Dozens of merchant vessels remain unable to leave ports around the Persian Gulf because exiting would require them to travel through what has been labeled the Strait of Hormuz’s “kill zone,” following Iran’s declaration of a de facto blockade of the chokepoint.
President Trump, who recently issued a threat to Iran, dismissed the concerns raised by ship operators. “I think they should use the Strait,” he continued, “Just about all of their navy is at the bottom of the sea,” as per The Washington Times.
BREAKING: Just hours after Trump told Oil Tankers to enter the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of Iran’s threats, an oil tanker is reportedly targeted and decimated by Iran in the Persian Gulf, just past the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s horrific advice may have just gotten people… pic.twitter.com/sIlztoUWW0
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) March 11, 2026
When asked whether his administration believed Iran had already deployed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the president said his administration does not think that has happened. Later that day, he offered a positive view of the conflict, saying the United States had already won the war.
His optimistic assessment came as the International Energy Agency announced it would release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves, the largest such release in the agency’s history, to keep oil supplies flowing globally.
The conflict’s center of gravity has moved to the Strait of Hormuz after nearly two weeks of bombing runs against military targets in and around Tehran. Nevertheless, Pentagon officials said this week they have not yet determined whether the U.S. Navy will provide escorts for commercial vessels passing through the area.
In a message published on his X account, Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said, “For years, the Iranian regime has threatened commercial shipping and U.S. forces in international waters.” The purpose of the operation is to put an end to Iran’s capability to project power and to interfere with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, he explained.
In a larger military operation that has targeted more than 5,000 sites across Iran, the U.S. has already destroyed more than 60 Iranian ships. However, violence has continued to plague the region as Iran or Iranian proxy forces have attacked at least three ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. One of those ships is a Thai-flagged vessel called the Mayuree Naree that reported a fire in its engine room, causing it to abandon ship, according to reports from local media.
🚨 BREAKING: Multiple oil tankers are under attack in the Persian Gulf off Iraq.
Trump said the Strait is open.
Trump said the Iranian navy is destroyed.
Trump said we’re ahead of schedule.
Multiple tankers are burning right now.
This is what the open Strait looks like.… pic.twitter.com/14mLboHNB5
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) March 11, 2026
However, various news sources reported that a barrage of ballistic missiles was fired from Iran at Israel, while hundreds of other rockets were launched from Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz is considered the most important oil chokepoint in the world because of its economic importance. Under normal circumstances, 20 million barrels of crude and refined products are transported daily through the Strait of Hormuz, which is equivalent to 20% of total global oil demand.
Amid disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, the International Energy Agency, based in Paris, declared on Wednesday that its 32 member countries would release 400 million barrels from emergency reserves.
Currently, exports of crude and refined petroleum products through the strait have fallen to less than 10 percent of pre-conflict levels. According to the IEA, its combined emergency reserves exceed 1.2 billion barrels.
