US Navy escorts keeping Hormuz crude flows alive as Iran tensions persist

The world’s most important oil chokepoint is running at roughly half its normal capacity, and the only thing keeping it open at all is a fleet of US Navy escorts. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed on September 6 that American naval forces are actively shepherding commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as ongoing tensions with Iran have made unescorted passage genuinely dangerous. The numbers behind the naval mission Current oil flows through the strait are averaging roughly 9 million barrels per day, with pipeline alternatives contributing another 5 million barrels on top of that. Before the conflict intensified in 2026, the strait was moving somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% of the world’s crude, including a substantial portion of LNG exports. A single-day peak of nearly 18 million barrels was recorded during the current conflict window, and back in June, approximately 20 million barrels moved through in a 24-hour period, roughly equivalent to 72 ships. Wright’s framing was pointed: Iran’s ability to disrupt shipping has diminished, he argued, precisely because US military measures have degraded Tehran’s capacity to act on its threats. Why this chokepoint still ...