Iranian commentator Ali Golhaki said the US is clearing obstacles in the southern Strait of Hormuz near Oman to establish a permanent corridor for oil tankers, according to The Zioneer. He warned the route would remove the strait as a strategic card from Iran's hands and that the US would have no incentive to lift the siege, cancel sanctions, or release funds if the situation persists.
Iranian commentator Ali Golhaki warned that the United States is actively clearing obstacles in the southern Strait of Hormuz near Oman to establish a permanent maritime corridor for oil tankers, according to a report cited by The Zioneer on Thursday afternoon. He assessed that the route would remove the strategic waterway as a bargaining chip from Iran's hands, and that if the corridor becomes operational, the US would have no incentive to lift the siege, cancel sanctions, or release frozen Iranian funds.
The analysis lands amid a rapidly unfolding story that The Zioneer has tracked since Wednesday evening. At 22:24 Jerusalem on Wednesday Axios first reported that the US military had quietly established a shipping corridor through the strait. Minutes later, President Trump told reporters that a secret passage was moving 10 million barrels of oil daily. By 22:34 Jerusalem, two senior American officials confirmed the operation, stating that 15–20 tankers transit each night carrying approximately 10 million barrels, enabled by a two-week CENTCOM campaign that degraded Iranian radar and maritime surveillance.
The corridor emerged against the backdrop of sustained US–Iran confrontation over the waterway, through which a substantial share of global oil trade flows. As The Zioneer has reported, Iran's IRGC declared the strait closed to foreign shipping, and US forces have struck Iranian air defense and radar installations in the area.
Golhaki's warning remains an analyst assessment rather than an official Iranian statement. It is not yet clear whether the corridor's steady operation—now confirmed at scale—will prompt a shift in Tehran's military or diplomatic posture.
7 developments
- DevelopingMohsen Rezaei warns US ships face 'significant dangers and casualties' if second Hormuz route opened
- StrongUS Official: US to Lift Naval Blockade on Iran After Hormuz Free Passage Deal
- DevelopingIran's top security official: US siege will strengthen Hormuz closure, shut more straits
- DevelopingCNN: US intelligence assesses Iran can use Strait of Hormuz as new leverage
Source and signal
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