Trump Reveals Major Economic Secret

President Donald Trump says a covert U.S. Navy operation kept the Strait of Hormuz open during the Iran conflict, helping prevent soaring oil prices and what he believes could have become a worldwide economic crisis.

Trump Says Secret U.S. Navy Mission Helped Prevent Global Economic Crisis During Iran Conflict

President Donald Trump said Thursday that one of his top priorities during the recent conflict with Iran was preventing a worldwide economic crisis by keeping global energy supplies moving.

Speaking during a wide-ranging interview from the Oval Office with CNBC, Trump said he was determined to avoid the kind of financial collapse that marked the presidency of Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression. According to Trump, maintaining access through the Strait of Hormuz was essential to preventing a dramatic spike in oil prices that could have severely damaged the global economy.

Trump Says He Wanted to Avoid an Economic Disaster

Trump told CNBC that he has long believed one of the most important responsibilities of any president is protecting the nation’s economic stability.

“I’ve always said, I don’t want to be a president with a depression on his resume,” Trump said.

The president pointed to Herbert Hoover as an example of the kind of economic legacy he hopes to avoid.

Trump said he has no desire to be remembered like former President Herbert Hoover. He acknowledged that presidents leave behind a wide range of legacies, but said Hoover stands out in his view because he believes Hoover’s leadership contributed to the onset of the Great Depression and the worldwide economic hardship that followed.

Trump also criticized Hoover’s economic policies, arguing they worsened an already difficult situation.

Trump argued that Hoover increased both interest rates and taxes at the same time, saying he appeared to be trying to solve economic problems but ultimately failed to produce the desired results.

Strait of Hormuz Remained a Major Concern

Trump said one of the administration’s biggest concerns during the conflict with Iran was ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remained open to commercial shipping.

The Strait of Hormuz serves as one of the world’s most vital shipping routes for oil, with a substantial portion of global energy supplies passing through it. Any extended interruption to traffic in the passage could drive oil prices significantly higher and create ripple effects across the global economy.

According to Trump, his administration believed allowing the passage to remain blocked could have pushed crude oil prices to between $300 and $350 per barrel.

He argued that such a dramatic increase would have triggered a severe worldwide recession or even a global depression.

Trump Describes Secret Navy Escort Operation

Trump revealed that the United States quietly conducted nighttime naval escort missions to help commercial tankers safely transit the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the president, the operation remained largely unknown to the public while it was taking place.

“One of the reasons it only went up to like $115, if you remember, and I’ve seen guests on your show where they go oil will be $350 a barrel, and there’ll be a depression because at $350 there’s a depression. It’s automatic. It goes with it,” Trump said.

“I said, well, we’ve got to do something. We did something nobody knew.”

Trump explained that U.S. Navy ships escorted oil tankers through the southern portion of the strait, choosing a route farther away from potential threats.

“Every night, we were taking ships out through the south, which is the furthest point from where they have their little weapons.

“And they were going along the coast with no lights for a month and a half.”

Navy Escorted Dozens of Oil Tankers

The president said the operation lasted for approximately six weeks and involved moving large numbers of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.

“We had one night where we took 22 ships out. That’s a lot of oil. Those are big ships. Some of them are really big ships.”

Trump praised both the tanker crews and the U.S. Navy personnel who participated in the missions.

“And in a way, they had courage going out. But our Navy took them out. We escorted them out, and nobody knew. The lights were off. Everything was off. Everything was silent.”

He credited the operation with helping stabilize energy markets during the conflict and preventing oil prices from reaching the levels many analysts had feared.

Trump Warns High Oil Prices Could Trigger a Depression

Trump argued that allowing crude oil prices to climb to $300 per barrel would have had devastating consequences for consumers, businesses, and financial markets around the world.

He said avoiding that outcome was one of his administration’s primary objectives throughout the conflict.

The president reiterated that he did not want history to remember him as a leader who presided over a major economic collapse.

“If oil reached $300 a barrel, then I become Herbert Hoover. I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover,” Trump said.

Trump Reflects on the Great Depression

While discussing the historical comparison, Trump pointed toward a portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt displayed in the Oval Office.

“FDR didn’t get us out of it. There’s a picture right there, FDR,” Trump said.

“Nice picture. It took us years to get out of it. I don’t ever want to be in a depression. I don’t want to be a president that oversees the great worldwide depression. That was Herbert Hoover. And it was a terrible thing.”

Trump maintained that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open was one of the administration’s most important accomplishments during the Iran conflict, arguing that the effort helped protect global energy supplies, stabilize oil markets, and reduce the risk of a broader economic crisis.

While Trump’s account reflects his view of the operation’s impact, the full scope of the reported naval escort missions has not been independently detailed by U.S. military officials.