A senior American official stressed that with the development of infrastructure and alternative routes, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz is decreasing week by week.

According to Iran International, the official said, while explaining Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is scheduled to be held in New York next week, citing figures provided by the U.S. energy minister: on average, 10 to 11 million barrels of oil are being transferred per day; a figure, he said, that represents a significant increase compared with a few months ago.

According to the official, the development of infrastructure and the effectiveness of alternative routes that the U.S. Navy creates to bypass the Strait of Hormuz have reduced the Islamic Republic’s ability to exert pressure through this waterway.

He also emphasized that these measures, together with the blockade and an operation known as “economic rage,” have pushed the value of the rial to the lowest level in history and inflation to the highest level in history.

The senior American official said Washington expects the Islamic Republic of Iran, in whatever way, to give up efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon.