WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - The US military has quietly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to help ensure the safe transportation of millions of barrels of oil to global markets, according to US news website Axios.
Citing two US officials, Axios reported that the operation has been underway for several weeks, despite a broader pause in fighting.
Under the arrangement, around 15 to 20 oil tankers enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz each night through the southern channel along Oman’s coast.
US officials said approximately 10 million barrels of oil are currently passing safely through the strategic waterway each day, about half the volume recorded before the conflict.
The US military is escorting loaded tankers out of the strait while also helping empty vessels travel from the Arabian Sea into the Gulf, load oil in regional countries and safely return through the waterway.
A US official familiar with the operation said Washington had controlled the southern shipping lane for about two months.
The official said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could disrupt the operation but did not control the strait.
According to Axios, the task force overseeing the operation is based at the Army headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and remains in close contact with Gulf partners.
Daily vessel lists are prepared and tankers are moved through the strait at night in large convoys. US fighter jets provide air protection against Iranian drones and cruise missiles.
US officials said the operation followed a two-week US Central Command campaign that severely damaged Iran’s radar and maritime surveillance systems, reducing its ability to monitor shipping in the southern channel.