US energy secretary: Hormuz oil flows average nearly 13 million bpd
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday, 27 September 2026 that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz were averaging almost 13 million barrels a day, with one day last week above 20 million — more than pre-conflict levels on that single day (Iran International, citing Fox News).
Wright argued the “pricing problem today is much more refining capacity than it actually is the flow of oil,” reframing the market story away from a pure barrel-blockade narrative.
Why markets care
If Washington believes substantial volumes can move without Tehran’s full cooperation, the incentive to meet Iran’s asking price for a complete reopen falls. That is the business read of Wright’s numbers — not a prediction that risk premia vanish. Insurance, escorts and intermittent attacks still tax the system.
Parallel pressure track
The same Sunday package noted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent thanking Turkey, Oman, the UAE and the UK for aviation/banking steps against Iranian carriers and transactions — a separate economic-isolation track from Wright’s flow statistics.
| Metric (attributed) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Hormuz running average (Wright) | ~13 mbd |
| Peak day last week (Wright) | >20 mbd |
| Vessels facilitated (Cooper, last week) | >2,000 |
| Crude facilitated (Cooper) | >1 billion barrels |
Bottom line
Sunday’s energy desk update is a volume and refining argument from Wright: Hormuz is moving large averages under escort, while price pain is pinned more on refining than on a total cutoff. Traders still price geopolitics; the data point is the average, not a peace deal.