Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (the Gulf's main oil shipping chokepoint) has dropped to its weakest level in nearly three months despite President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the United States has "total control" of the route. Kpler recorded 14 transits on Tuesday and a five-day moving average of about 13, down from roughly 130 vessels a day before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28; June averaged 33 and July 26, a decline of about 90%. The tracking data suggests most ships either used Iranian-administered lanes or switched off transponders, while war-risk premiums (insurance charges for conflict exposure) have climbed back to 10% of vessel value from about 0.25% before the conflict, making passage uneconomic for some owners. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright disputed the private counts and said total Gulf energy exports, including seaborne and pipeline volumes, are running near 15 million barrels per day, while Iran has tied any reopening to an end to the U.S. maritime blockade, sanctions relief, withdrawal of American forces and war reparations, keeping pressure on oil, shipping and inflation.