U.S. Central Command Announces Securing Transit of 1,000 Ships, Half Billion Barrels of Oil Through Hormuz

The U.S. Central Command announced that its forces have assisted, since early May, in securing the transit of approximately one thousand vessels and the transfer of 500 million barrels of crude oil through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Command affirmed the continued navigation of commercial ships through the strait with the support of U.S. units. This disclosure of figures, according to experts, comes as a response from the U.S. Central Command to previous claims by leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, including official Mohammad Akbarzadeh, that the Strait of Hormuz has become "under the complete control of the Iranian Navy." CENTCOM stressed in its statement that the Strait of Hormuz is considered an "international waterway," asserting that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has no authority to impose or determine routes for commercial vessels, or to compel them to obtain prior permission for passage. It is worth noting that the Strait of Hormuz was a vital passage for the transit of approximately 20 to 21 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum derivatives daily before the escalation of tension between Washington and Tehran.