Trump claims US secretly took oil from Iran; Energy Secretary says he was unaware

Trump Claims US Has Been Secretly Removing Iranian Oil; Energy Secretary Says He Was Unaware

President Donald Trump stunned reporters on Wednesday by asserting that the United States has been covertly extracting millions of barrels of oil from Iran, a claim that appeared to catch his own energy secretary off guard during congressional testimony the same day.

‘Nobody Knows It’

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the secret operation explained why crude oil prices have remained lower than many analysts expected given the three-month disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Millions of barrels of oil has come out, and that’s why it’s at $85-90 a barrel, instead of $250,” Trump said, according to multiple reports. He added, “We’ve been taking out millions of barrels every night,” while offering no further details about the alleged operation.aljazeera

In a fuller version of his remarks, Trump appeared to boast about the secrecy of the effort, saying, “Nobody knows it,” and suggesting even Iran was unaware.threads

The comments came as Trump also warned Iran would “pay the price” for what he called stalled peace negotiations, posting on Truth Social that Tehran had “taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them”.channelnewsasia

Wright Testifies Before House Panel

The same morning, Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology to discuss the administration’s fiscal 2027 budget request. During questioning, Wright indicated he was not aware of any such operation to secretly remove Iranian oil, creating a stark public contradiction with the president’s remarks.thehill

This is not the first time the two have been publicly at odds. In April, Trump called Wright “totally wrong” after the energy secretary suggested gas prices might not fall below $3 per gallon until 2027. Wright has also previously had to delete a social media post falsely claiming the Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.coloradopolitics

Context of the Claim

Trump has repeatedly referenced oil extraction from Iran throughout the war. In late March, he cryptically described a “present” from Iran worth “a tremendous amount of money,” later revealing it involved 10 oil tankers passing through the Strait. The administration also temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea in March, freeing up approximately 140 million barrels.pbs

Crude oil fell to around $87.60 per barrel on Wednesday, according to Trading Economics, after declining nearly 3% to a seven-week low the previous day following a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Oil prices have whipsawed throughout the conflict, which has kept the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to commercial shipping since late February, removing roughly 16 million barrels per day from global supply lines.reuters

The war has depleted global petroleum inventories by an estimated 500 million barrels, according to a Politico report citing industry figures, while the International Energy Agency has warned that strategic reserves are “not endless”.politico