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President Trump claimed Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic has been stymied<\/a> for nearly two weeks amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict<\/a> with Iran, was in \u201cgreat shape\u201d despite growing concern<\/a> about the effect of a prolonged blockade on global oil markets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe straits are in great shape,\u201d Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. \u201cWe\u2019ve knocked out all of their boats. They have some missiles, but not very many. I think we\u2019re in very good \u2026 we\u2019re in very good shape.\u201d<\/p>\n The narrow channel between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, where about a fifth of the world\u2019s oil supply<\/a> flows through, has been effectively closed<\/a> since the start of the military operation<\/a> due to repeated Iranian threats<\/a> against vessels attempting to transit the strait.<\/p>\n The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has maintained that it will not allow \u201ceven a single liter of oil<\/a>\u201d to pass through until U.S. and Israeli strikes cease.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s threats to ramp up attacks on Iran if the passage remains closed have so far proven ineffective, and the U.S. has yet to follow through on sending Navy ships to escort tankers through the straits.<\/p>\n Three cargo ships were struck by unknown projectiles in the Gulf on Wednesday, bringing the number of reported attacks against vessels operating near the Iranian coast to 16, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations<\/a> (UKMTO).<\/p>\n A day earlier, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said American forces had destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels<\/a> in the strait.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are pretty much at the end of the line,\u201d Trump boasted on Wednesday, referring to Iran. \u201cDoesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re going to end it immediately, but they are. They\u2019ve got no navy, they\u2019ve got no air force, they\u2019ve got no anti-air traffic anything. They have no systems of control.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just riding free range over that country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The disruption in oil exports has rocked global markets, pushing crude oil prices<\/a> back over $100 per barrel overnight before cooling slightly on Thursday morning. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, stood at about $98 per barrel<\/a> as of 8 a.m. EDT.<\/p>\n The U.S. announced on Wednesday that it would release 172 million barrels of oil<\/a> from its strategic reserves in a bid to bring down prices and assuage broader economic fears. It came hours after the International Energy Agency (IEA) said its members would collectively release 400 million barrels of oil<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mixed messages about how long the conflict could last<\/a> have also injected uncertainty into the market. The Pentagon and Israeli officials have vowed to continue bombarding<\/a> Tehran until their nuclear and missile capabilities are eradicated, even as Trump has signaled<\/a> several times this week that the operation was nearing its end.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing is we have to win this,\u201d Trump said. \u201cMost people say it\u2019s already been won. It\u2019s just a question of when. When do we stop? We don\u2019t want to let it regrow, and ideally would like to see somebody in there that knows what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n The president also warned Wednesday that the U.S. could dismantle key infrastructure inside Iran if it decides to escalate further.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can hit sections of Tehran and other places that if you do it, it\u2019ll be almost impossible for them to rebuild their country, and we don\u2019t want that. But we can hit electric \u2026 we could take apart their electric capacity within one hour, and it would take them 25 years to rebuild it. So ideally, we\u2019re not going to be doing that,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n