Iranian commentator Ali Golhaki has warned that a reported US secret maritime corridor being cleared in the southern Strait of Hormuz, near Oman, could deprive Iran of its strategic leverage over the waterway. According to a report circulated by Iranian news channels, Golhaki said the US is using specialized vessels to remove obstacles and create a permanent passage for tankers, undermining Iran's ability to threaten the strait. He warned that if the situation continues, the US will not lift sanctions or release frozen funds.
On Wednesday evening, Iranian commentator Ali Golhaki warned that reported U.S. efforts to establish a secret maritime corridor in the southern Strait of Hormuz could deprive Iran of its strategic leverage over the waterway. Speaking on Iranian news channels, Golhaki said the U.S. is using specialized vessels to clear sharp rocks and obstacles near Oman, creating a permanent passage for oil tankers. He cautioned that continued U.S. activity would prevent Iran from securing sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds. The remarks emerged hours after a flurry of reports confirming the existence of the secret corridor.
The developments preceding Golhaki’s warning have been extensively reported. On Wednesday evening, Axios first reported that the U.S. military had quietly established a shipping corridor through the strait. President Trump then revealed that a secret U.S. path was moving 10 million barrels of oil daily. The Zioneer, citing Israeli journalist Barak Ravid and two senior American officials, subsequently reported that the corridor had been operating for weeks, moving approximately 10 million barrels per day via 15–20 tankers each night, enabled by a two-week CENTCOM campaign against Iranian radar and maritime surveillance systems. The thread evolved rapidly from a single news outlet to multiple corroborating sources, including direct official confirmation from two senior U.S. officials.
The Zioneer has previously reported on escalating U.S.-Iran tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. On June 26, a senior U.S. official confirmed that the U.S. military was actively striking Iranian targets near the strait. On June 10, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait closed to shipping, a move that has since been contested. These developments underscore the strategic significance of the corridor as part of broader U.S. efforts to bypass the chokepoint and tighten economic pressure on Iran.
It remains unclear whether Golhaki’s comments are based on independent information or official Iranian sources. While the existence of the U.S. maritime corridor has been confirmed by American officials, independent verification of the operation's details is still lacking. Golhaki’s warning itself, as reported by Iranian news channels, has not been officially acknowledged by Iranian authorities.
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