Barak Ravid reports, citing two senior American officials, that the US military has been operating a secret shipping corridor in the southern Strait of Hormuz for weeks, moving approximately 10 million barrels of oil per day via 15–20 tankers each night. The operation was enabled by a two-week CENTCOM campaign against Iranian radar and maritime surveillance systems. President Trump said 'a huge amount of oil is leaving the Strait of Hormuz' and that the US is not negotiating with Iran.
Barak Ravid of Axios reported Thursday, citing two senior American officials, that the US military has been operating a secret shipping corridor in the southern Strait of Hormuz for several weeks. The corridor moves approximately 10 million barrels of oil per day, with 15 to 20 tankers transiting each night. The operation includes escorting laden tankers out of the Gulf and bringing empty tankers in from the Arabian Sea, under the protection of US fighter jets against Iranian cruise missiles and drones.
The corridor was enabled by a two-week CENTCOM campaign against Iranian radar and maritime surveillance systems, which significantly degraded Tehran's ability to track traffic in the southern strait, the officials said. Iran now relies on a limited number of radars and IRGC speedboat spotters, and responds by launching missiles and drones at estimated convoy locations. In one night this week, US forces intercepted eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles.
President Trump commented on the operation, saying 'a huge amount of oil is leaving the Strait of Hormuz.' He added that the US is not currently negotiating with Iran: 'They are wasting time. Negotiating with them is a waste of time.'
The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday (06:52 Jerusalem) that two senior US officials had confirmed the secret corridor. The development follows weeks of escalating US-Iran maritime friction in the Strait, including previous interceptions of Iranian attack drones and the US Energy Secretary's acknowledgment that the waterway remains effectively closed without US Navy intervention.
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
- Open-source intake