Photo: Getty Images
U.S. military forces have quietly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing millions of barrels of oil to move through the waterway each day, Axios reports.
Two U.S. officials described the operation as a significant achievement despite the broader conflict remaining deadlocked. The operation has been underway for several weeks, with 15 to 20 tankers already traveling through the southern channel along Oman’s coast.
According to U.S. officials, around 10 million barrels of oil a day are now moving through the strait and reaching global markets — roughly half the prewar volume.
More than 20 vessels were expected to transit the southern corridor on Tuesday evening, potentially carrying around 15 million barrels of oil.
How the corridor works
U.S. forces are not only escorting loaded oil tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. They are also helping empty tankers enter the Gulf, load oil from the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, and then exit through the strait.
A U.S. official said American forces have controlled the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz for about two months, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains a potential threat but does not control the waterway.
The operation is coordinated by a task force operating under the headquarters of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in cooperation with Gulf partners.
Each day, planners prepare lists of vessels leaving the Persian Gulf through Hormuz and entering the Arabian Sea, as well as empty chartered tankers traveling in the opposite direction to load oil.
At night, ships are instructed to move in organized groups during designated time windows and pass through several checkpoints, where they report their status.
U.S. forces defend the corridor
U.S. Air Force fighter jets patrol the area and intercept Iranian cruise missiles and drones targeting shipping.
Officials said the corridor became possible after a recent two-week U.S. military campaign by Central Command weakened Iran’s radar and maritime surveillance capabilities.
As a result, Iranian attacks have become less precise, with weapons often launched only in the general direction of passing vessels.
Some ships have been damaged in Iranian attacks, but U.S. forces have intercepted many of the threats. On the evening of August 17, for example, American forces reportedly shot down eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles.
The reopening of part of the Strait of Hormuz has already affected global oil markets. Crude prices have risen for four consecutive days amid conflicting statements from Washington and Tehran over whether the waterway is open to shipping.
Iran, meanwhile, has said the strait will not fully reopen until the United States meets its conditions under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
