Adm. Brad Cooper said U.S. forces have helped Persian Gulf producers move more than 1.5 billion barrels out of the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war began, putting a hard number on CENTCOM Strait Of Hormuz oil security efforts. He made the remarks on Sunday after visiting the waterway and speaking about freedom of navigation there.
Cooper said, "We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Gulf partners and the shipping industry," and added, "This visit underscores our strong commitment to continued freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz." The figures he cited point to a route still carrying heavy volumes even as security concerns remain part of every transit decision.
U.S. Central Command and The Strait of Hormuz
U.S. Central Command said more than 3,000 commercial vessels have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz with support from CENTCOM forces over the last six months. The military also said American forces have successfully cleared the waterway’s international shipping lanes of sea mines laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The command said a 95% success rate for ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz without incident in recent months shows that the United States and regional partners control the international waterway. For tanker operators and oil shippers, that means the route is still functioning at scale, not just intermittently.
Persian Gulf flows and market pressure
Oil flows out of the Strait of Hormuz have recovered in the past two months according to various tanker-tracking services, and some estimates put flows already above pre-war levels, excluding Iranian exports. That recovery matters because the Strait of Hormuz remains the main outlet for Persian Gulf oil headed toward Asia and beyond.
Threats to shipping in the area have not subsided, and escalating Saudi-Houthi tensions could disrupt the recovering flows. Iran has claimed dozens of hits on tankers in the Persian Gulf and in the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that sits alongside the U.S. military's description of a waterway kept open under pressure.
Asian trade and Brent Crude
On Monday, oil prices fell in Asian trade while Brent Crude remained above $115 per barrel and WTI stayed above $100. The market is still pricing the risk that a disruption in the Strait of Hormuz would quickly tighten supply, especially if shipping becomes slower or more expensive.
For now, the latest figures leave one immediate takeaway: CENTCOM says the route is still moving oil at enormous scale, but the security picture around the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable enough that traders are still watching every convoy, every incident, and every rise in risk.
