US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that the United States had secretly facilitated the movement of millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's knowledge, describing it as a covert operation that Tehran was learning about only now.
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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the US had quietly moved large quantities of oil by guiding ships through the strategically vital waterway.
"I can say it now. Something you didn't know," Trump said. "Do you know we've been taking out millions of barrels of oil? Nobody knows it. You know who doesn't know about it? Iran — until right now."
He further claimed that 22 ships had been moved in a single night without lights and beyond the reach of Iranian detection capabilities.