The US military has said it supported the transit of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months, while claiming Iran has exported “zero barrels” during the period because of a US blockade.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said the strait’s main shipping lanes had been cleared of mines and that movements of oil, natural gas and cargo over the past fortnight were at their highest level for six months.
He said the increase came after the war began with US and Israeli strikes. The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for international energy shipments, with about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passing through it before the conflict.
However, shipping monitors said traffic remained well below pre-war levels. Iran has continued to attack vessels while asserting control over the waterway, according to the reports.
The US military’s account of the oil transit and the blockade comes as the security of commercial shipping through the strait remains contested.
