The US military has quietly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to move millions of barrels of oil each day. The operation, which has been underway for several weeks, involves 15–20 tankers entering and exiting the strait each night through a southern channel along Oman's coast.
Axios citing two US officials reported that about 10 million barrels of oil a day, roughly half the pre-war volume, is currently being transported out of the strait and into the global energy market.
The US-led effort is aimed at easing the disruption to global oil supplies caused by the war. While flows remain below pre-war levels, US officials say the shipments are helping improve global supply and reduce some of the pressure created by the conflict.
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The operation involves more than escorting tankers carrying oil out of the Gulf. According to Axios, the US military is also helping empty tankers travel from the Arabian Sea through the strait into the Gulf, where they load oil before making the return journey.
“We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps can be a nuisance, but they don't control the strait. We do,” one US official with direct knowledge of the operation told Axios.
The task force overseeing the operation is being run from the Army headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and is coordinating with Gulf partners, said the report.
Axios reported that a daily schedule is prepared for tankers leaving the Gulf and for empty vessels travelling into the region to load oil. The ships move through the southern channel in separate outbound and inbound groups during designated time slots, following US military guidance. US Air Force fighter jets provide protection against Iranian drones and cruise missiles.
The operation followed a two-week US Central Command campaign that degraded Iran's radar and maritime surveillance capabilities. Iranian monitoring of the southern channel is now reportedly limited to a small number of restored radars and spotters operating from IRGC fast boats.
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Over the past two weeks, 15-20 tankers have reportedly moved in and out of the strait each night through the southern channel. Average daily exports have risen to nearly 10 million barrels, officials told Axios.
On some days, oil flows out of the Gulf have reached 15 million-20 million barrels. One night this week, more than 20 ships were scheduled to transit the southern lane, potentially carrying around 15 million barrels of oil, according to one official.
“There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz,” President Donald Trump told Axios on Wednesday. Trump also said the US was not currently negotiating with Iran, calling talks “a waste of time”.
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