US will keep Strait of Hormuz oil flow open even without Iran deal, energy chief says

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that Washington will keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz even if no agreement is reached with Iran, despite mines Tehran has placed in the waterway delaying a return to normal traffic. Wright told reporters that about 72 tankers carrying roughly 20 million barrels of oil have exited the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours. He said the United States would ensure passage through the strait regardless of the mine threat. The gradual normalization of tanker crossings, combined with ongoing ceasefire talks and expectations that additional Iranian crude will return to global markets, has eased supply concerns that had driven recent volatility. Priyanka Sachdeva, chief market analyst at Philip Nova, said the developments have significantly reduced supply worries. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world's most critical chokepoints for oil trade. The Energy Department has said the US administration will continue taking steps necessary to keep energy transit through the strait uninterrupted.