Donald Trump would like you to know that the Strait of Hormuz is in tremendous shape. Possibly the best shape in its history. On September 27, he told reporters that “last night, we took a record amount of oil out of the Hormuz Strait, more than we took out before the war.” Three days later he was back with an even bigger number: “We took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple days than at any point in history.” In his telling, the oil is pouring out of the Gulf in quantities that would make the shahs blush.

So here is a question for the White House. If the oil is flowing like never before, why did the President of the United States spend this week threatening America’s closest allies with a diesel embargo unless they emptied their emergency tanks?