U.S. has Smuggled up to 500 Million Barrels of Oil Through Gulf of Oman, Hegseth says

USNI ^ | 07 22 2026 | Hope Hodge Seck

[yesthatjallen]

A contentious Senate hearing on a supplemental budget request of nearly $88 billion, largely earmarked to cover the ongoing war on Iran, revealed new figures about the war’s cost to date and the effects of the military’s Project Freedom initiative to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The hearing did little, however, to provide concrete answers on what it would take to end the conflict.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, to defend the request, more than $67 billion of which would go to the Pentagon. While the request, which is separate from the historic $1 trillion defense budget request for fiscal year 2026, includes $21 billion to replenish munitions stockpiles and about $20 billion for Middle East operations, it also contains more controversial add-ons. About $800 million, for example, would fund continued National Guard mobilization in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities. Navy leadership has said the service would face operations and maintenance funding challenges if the supplemental wasn’t passed by the end of July.

SNIP

---

TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hegseth; mediabias; medialies; mediots; meduabias; nationalguard; oil; oman; projectfreedom; smuggling

[rightwingcrazy]

I think the word “smuggle” here assumes legal authority where it doesn’t belong.

[Libloather]

Will that be passed out like reparations?

[Wayne07]

Note that Hegseth did not say “smuggled”, nor does the term show up in the article. Ignorant choice of words by whoever wrote the title of the article.

[SMARTY]

Have any of the recipients thanked us??

[Blurb2350]

Maybe it’s coming here to the U.S. . . . With the midterms approaching, the availability of fuel at a reasonable price is crucial.

[Sacajaweau]

We have plenty of fuel here...This is an international commodity.

[Sacajaweau]

I just drive a little less....combining errands.

[Gunslingr3]

“We pushed almost, I believe, between 400 and 500 million barrels of oil under the nose of Iran over the course of Project Freedom,”

"Project Freedom" was announced May 4th.

An average of about 600 to 630 million barrels of oil and petroleum products transited the Strait of Hormuz each month during early 2025.

So, if these numbers from the Secretary are correct, we're not even at 50% of the flow rate before starting this war.

[Gunslingr3]

Maybe it’s coming here to the U.S. . . . With the midterms approaching, the availability of fuel at a reasonable price is crucial.

Nope. We actually have record oil exports happening now as producers cash in on the supply crunch we created overseas.

[South Dakota]

Fill the strategic oil reserve

[woodbutcher1963]

How many million barrels on a supertanker?

Is this equivalent to 200 super tankers?

Anyone

BUELLER

BUELLER

[TexasGator]

For the google impaired:

https://www.google.com/search?q=How+many+million+barrels+on+a+supertanker%3F&client=tablet-android-samsung-rvo1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

[woodbutcher1963]

thanks, so 150-200 super tanker loads through the Gulf of Oman

[piasa]

It’s not “smuggling.”

[piasa]

It isn’t ignorant it is deliberate deception on the part of the headline editor.

[piasa]

Well, one thing about higher oil prices is that it also raises the cost China has to pay to produce their government subsidized plastic Temu junk.

Which means less money to build airbases in other countries’ Pacific reefs.

[Democrat = party of treason]

NOBODY CARES YOU LUNATIC