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Posted on 08/12/2026 8:37:25 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
Fox News anchor Bret Baier undercut President Donald Trump’s baseless claim that the U.S. “totally” controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil flows.
On Tuesday, Trump spoke with reporters and addressed the strait, which Iran effectively closed after the U.S. and Israel launched the current war on the country in February. But somehow, the president insisted the U.S. has it all under control.
“We totally control the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, reality be damned. “We have control over it. Nobody else. Only us. Our navy is unbelievable, and things are going great for our country.”
On Wednesday’s Special Report, Baier informed Fox viewers that Trump’s claim has no basis in fact.
“Let’s start with the Strait of Hormuz,” he began. Now, this is a narrow passage between Iran and Oman. It’s the gateway between the Persian Gulf and the open ocean. And look at what normally passes through here.”
Baier then explained:
Total oil flow averaged nearly 21 million barrels per day in the first half of last year, equivalent to about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. Usually, about one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade moves through there as well. Despite President Trump claiming total control over the strait, traffic has slowed, really, to a trickle if you look at this.
Before the conflict, more than 100 vessels a day were crossing. Monday, eight vessels crossed. Yesterday, 14. Now, those are constraints, and it’s changing the government’s energy outlook. The Energy Information Administration raised its forecast for the average price of a gallon of gasoline over the full year by 14 cents. You can see right here. It also raised its 2026 forecast for Brent crude from $82 a barrel to $87 a barrel.
And there’s another problem building as well. The International Energy Agency says global crude oil inventories fell by 2.2 million barrels a day in July. It expects a global supply deficit of 1.8 million barrels a day in the third quarter. That’s more than double its previous estimate.
Hours before Baier’s report, Trump fired off a Truth Social post in which he again claimed the U.S. controls the strait and thanked Allah.
“Their country is ‘shot,'” the president wrote. “All they have is FAKE NEWS and 300% INFLATION, and getting worse! Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer. Praise be to Allah!”
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EPD, KYN, VTS, DMLP, ET, SU, OXY, SOBO.
When President Trump talks about total control of the Strait of Hormuz, he must be trolling. But to what end I do not know.
Brett Baier has always been anti Trump.
I expect that traffic is a trickle compared to normal volume, but I do believe that is due to a fear of mines in the travel lanes and fear of Iran lobbing ordinance from shore. Once a few go through safely I expect traffic will pick up.
It doesn’t matter if he is pro-Trump or anti-Trump. What matters are the facts. What are the facts?
Uh oh, Bret Baier has joined the woke right. What a panican.
Should he resort to Baghdad Bob mode?
The facts are whatever Trump says. Don’t you know that by now?
Maybe the numbers are lower because we control it and are restricting access (i.e. oil from Iran to...), oil from other countries tankers (filled with Iranian oil), going to...
Total control is probably a bit much to profess. Still, I don’t think Iran controls the Straits, either...tough to do when your navy is confined to patrolling the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Given the inflation in Iran (80%), the fact that they can’t pay their military, plus there is almost no distillate fuels in Iran, kinda tells me they are not in control of things the way they used to be. Rumors are that they have killed over 20,000 protestors, but there is no way to know for sure. Suffice it so say that Iran is in control of a lot less now than they were last January.
Bret’s been listening to his “ all-star “ panelists Juan Williams, Susan Page, and Harold Ford Jr. too much.
Trump’s statements and the facts don’t always match.
Well Trump has not been truthful with the American Public for a while now and most everything like fuel costs, food and much more are creeping up as he is like Nero as he is fiddling as the economy slowly burns to the ground... With every passing month it is harder and harder to believe the rubbish coming out of the White House.
When President Trump talks about total control of the Strait of Hormuz, he must be trolling. But to what end I do not know.
Trump doesn’t grasp the rules of war, either get it won or get out.... It is like a phony war really.
BUMP
My question. To Baier is this
Who is enabling the smaller number of ships to get through against Irans hostility?
It is 100% the U.S. Navy.
Control of the strait is not the same as traffic moving through it. The US has Iran embargoed and they can do nothing about that.
There is no navy in that region which can contest our control.
Bret Baier is not the final word on anything.
Certainly traffic is reduced because Iran is threatening asymmetric attacks and the shipping owners don’t want to take that risk.
Brett Baier hates Trump and I can’t stand the sight of his lying zzz or Brit Hume either.
“Last UpdateAugust 12, 2026, 10:08 PM EDT
Iran defies Trump, declares Strait of Hormuz blocked after president claims US has ‘total control’
Tehran insists the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not reopen until its conditions are met, directly challenging President Donald Trump’s declaration that the U.S. has “total control” of the waterway and as the MOU deadline approaches....”
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/iran-war-news-trump-israel-hormuz-august-12
✖️ Where’s our tariff share❓
✖️ Bailout of the yen (desperation to save the US bond debt)
✖️ Prices on everything high, except for those undergoing demand destruction.
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