President Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is open. Data suggests otherwise

Supervising Producer

WASHINGTON —

The United States bombed Iran for the second time in 24 hours on Sunday, following Iran’s attack on another container ship and its targeting of Gulf countries hosting U.S. military forces. They were the third and fourth strikes in six days.

The U.S. and Iran are issuing conflicting statements about the status of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that handles about one-fifth of the world’s oil traffic. When asked on Sunday if Iran had closed the Strait, President Donald Trump said, “It’s open as far as we’re concerned.” Iran said over the weekend the Strait was closed.

Despite the president’s statement, traffic through the strait has been falling and is now well below pre-war levels, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler.

The recent strikes between the U.S. and Iran are also jeopardizing efforts to negotiate an end to the ongoing conflict. This follows Trump’s suggestion last week that the interim agreement signed between the two nations was over.

On Sunday night, Trump posted on social media that gas and oil prices are falling. However, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose above $78 on Monday, an increase of about $10 in a week, according to U.S. government data.

Gas prices, according to AAA, have also increased every day since July 7. Today, AAA is reporting that the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.87.

Experts are warning that a re-escalation of the conflict could have significant impacts on the global economy and cause gas prices to soar if the fighting does not subside.

On Friday, Trump posted online that Iran asked to continue talks. The U.S. and Iran are about halfway through the 60-day period in which they hoped to reach a permanent end to the war, addressing a wide variety of problems in the Middle East.

Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau: