RismadarVoice Reporters
October 31, 2026
United States President Donald Trump has defended his administration’s military campaign against Iran, claiming that more oil is passing through the Strait of Hormuz than seven months ago despite continuing disruptions to international shipping.
Trump made the remarks on Friday during a political rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he addressed the conflict, rising energy costs and criticism of US military spending.
The President maintained that Washington’s military operations were necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
He also repeated claims that American forces had severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities, including its naval and air operations.
Rejecting suggestions that the United States was responsible for initiating the conflict, Trump argued that hostilities between Washington and Tehran had existed for decades.
He traced the tensions to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and accused Iran of supporting activities that had resulted in American casualties.
Trump further claimed that oil shipments through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz had increased compared with levels recorded seven months earlier.
The waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to international shipping routes, remains central to global energy supplies.
However, independent shipping assessments have documented substantial disruptions since the war began in February.
Reuters reported earlier in October that crude shipments through the strait had fallen to approximately 74 per cent of pre-war volumes following renewed attacks on commercial vessels.
The available figures therefore do not conclusively support Trump’s broader suggestion that oil transportation has fully recovered.
During the rally, Trump also criticised Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna over his opposition to the war and questions surrounding its financial cost.
Referring to Khanna’s comments about approximately $25 billion in US war expenditure, Trump argued that American economic gains from Venezuela should be considered when assessing the administration’s wider international operations.
He claimed that the United States had generated roughly ten times that amount from Venezuela, although he did not provide independently verifiable financial records supporting the figure.
The remarks followed Washington’s January operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump continued to defend his administration’s approach to Iran, insisting that preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons remained his overriding objective.
His comments come amid continuing concerns over the humanitarian and economic consequences of the conflict, including disruptions to shipping, energy markets and regional security.
The competing claims over oil movements highlight the difficulty of assessing conditions in the Strait of Hormuz while military operations and restrictions on maritime activity continue.
