Hegseth insists US had control of Strait of Hormuz all along - despite shipping freeze that has impacted global economy

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed with CBS's Margaret Brennan on Sunday over whether the U.S. ever established functional military control over the Strait of Hormuz, as the administration once again promised that a peace agreement was hours away from being inked.

For months, the strait's closure has affected global shipping traffic and put a serious dent in the amount of oil making it to market every month. The resulting fuel price spikes have soared past $4 a gallon across the U.S., but in recent days has begun to decline towards pre-war levels.

Last week, White House officials touted the ability of the U.S. Navy to safely escort ships through the strait, which is often mined by Iranian boats, and protect them from Iran's aerial drone attacks. Traffic through the strait with naval escorts has now trickled up to about one half of the levels witnessed before hostilities began, providing some relief in the market.

On Sunday, Donald Trump's self-described secretary of War claimed that U.S. forces had actually controlled the Strait of Hormuz the "entire time", pointing to the increasing levels of U.S.-escorted traffic through the waterway and the U.S. blockade which had prevented ships thought to be working with Iran from passing through the area.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/hegseth-insists-us-had-control-203920868.html

Go home Hegseth. You're drunk again.