U.S. Vice President JD Vance said oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has returned to nearly pre-war levels, according to The Zioneer. The assessment comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to stabilize the strategic waterway.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated Thursday evening that oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has returned to nearly pre-war levels, according to a report by The Zioneer. The assessment follows a significant development earlier Thursday: CNN verified President Donald Trump's claim that oil traffic had reached an average of 18 million barrels per day — just two million shy of the pre-conflict daily average of 20 million (The Zioneer, Thu 07:53 Jerusalem). Vance's remarks align with that data, marking the first cabinet-level confirmation that the strategic waterway's throughput is approaching normalcy after months of disruption.
The Strait of Hormuz became a theater of direct confrontation in early July 2026, when The Zioneer reported Iran had launched ballistic missiles at commercial ships (Jul 7, 12:56 Jerusalem), followed by the U.S. military confirming 'powerful' retaliatory strikes (Jul 8, 00:32 Jerusalem). By mid-July, traffic nearly halted and oil spiked to $85 per barrel (Jul 10, 14:08 Jerusalem). The Zioneer also documented Vance's earlier involvement: on Jul 1, he stated the U.S. struck Iran over ship attacks and was applying leverage for safe passage; on Jun 18, he outlined emerging U.S.-Iran deal terms, citing 12.5 million barrels crossing the strait in one night — then the highest volume since conflict began.
The latest confirmation from Vance builds on weeks of incremental recovery. While the CNN-verified figure and Vance's statement both point to a restored flow, no independent traffic data was provided alongside the vice president's remarks. The Zioneer will continue to monitor for corroborating shipping data and further official statements.
2 developments
- StrongVance: Iran vowed to restore Strait of Hormuz oil flow to pre-war levels
- DevelopingNBC report: No oil tanker passed Strait of Hormuz yesterday, contradicting Trump, Vance
- StrongTrump: Strait of Hormuz is 'functioning' after mines cleared, oil flowing freely
- StrongVance: 'Significant progress' on Hormuz, mechanism set with Iran — technical teams stay
Source and signal
- Open-source intake