The US military is conducting stealth operations to help commercial ships transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Two US officials speaking with Axios said that over the past several weeks, the military has helped 15 to 20 vessels per day enter or exit the Persian Gulf by transiting the Strait of Hormuz near the Omani coast. One official claimed that the covert operations have increased the flow of oil out of the Gulf to half of the pre-war level, about ten million barrels per day.
“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 official said.
The US strategy has tankers move in bulk with US fighter jets escorting the vessels and shooting down Iranian missiles and drones. The official said the operations were made possible by the US taking out Iranian radars.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman for negotiating with Iran. Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst: “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the sh*t out of them.” Muscat has been negotiating with Tehran about the future of the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is a narrow waterway that lies between Iran and Oman. The waterway is the only entrance or exit for the Persian Gulf. About a fifth of the world’s energy crosses the Strait.
In response to the US and Israeli war against Iran, Tehran seized control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says the Strait is within its and Oman’s territorial waters, and any vessels that transit the Strait will have to pay a fee.
Over the past month, Oman and Iran have engaged in direct negotiations to come to an agreement on new shipping protocols for the Strait. The deal would give Iran full control over ships entering the Persian Gulf, while exiting ships would be subject to joint oversight between Tehran and Muscat.
Trump has recently declared there are no ongoing negotiations with Iran. Washington believes the Iranian economy is suffering and that, over time, Tehran will become more willing to agree to the President’s demands.
