The United States has taken total control of the Hormuz Strait.

Posted by Badlands Media, Oct 15, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictFalse

Sources: 4 contradict2 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

Badlands MediaOct 15, 2026

The claim matches the post's wording, and the US Central Command and the White House assert US control of the strait. However, independent reporting dated 2026-10-15 says neither side controls the whole waterway, with Iran still contesting it, attacks ongoing, and traffic far below prewar levels, so 'total control' is contradicted as of the post date.

We could not find who says this in the episode. Shown here; not scored.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… I hated to do it, and I knew gasoline would go high, but I had no idea. I thought it was going to go much higher, to be honest with you. Now I can say, but, you know, we have taken total control of the Hormuz Strait, and we're taking more gasoline, we're taking more oil right now out of the Hormuz Strait than we did before this started. Can you believe it? Because our Navy, and we did the blockade, and we did, I call it, the wall of steel. …

Badlands Media · Oct 15, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. A 2026-10-15 analysis states that two militaries claim control, that each controls different things, and that neither controls the whole waterway; visible transits hit their lowest level in over two months in early October.[4]

Contradicts. Reporting on 2026-10-15 says that traffic remains far below prewar levels, vessels still face attacks, and Iran continues to influence ship movements, which is inconsistent with total US control.[5]

Contradicts. Iran disputes US control and says the strait is under Iranian management, and Reuters-based coverage notes ongoing Iranian attacks and the contested status of the waterway.[3][6]

Supports. The White House and CENTCOM publicly assert that the United States, not Iran, controls the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump used the 'total control' wording in August.[2][3]

Supports. US military escorts and a ship-to-ship transfer system have restored oil flows through the strait to about 82 percent of prewar levels, showing substantial US operational influence.[1]