Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Defense Secretary, said on Tuesday, July 30, that the Islamic Republic does not charge tolls for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but that by firing at civilian vessels, it has caused disruptions along this important shipping route.

Hegseth, in a session of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, added that the United States, while waging war against the Islamic Republic, as part of the “Freedom Project,” transported more than 500 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. He also said that the United States, with the naval blockade of the Islamic Republic, is taking control of this strait.