In a major wartime operation, US forces escorted 40 commercial tankers carrying 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the largest such mission since fighting erupted six months ago, according to a CNN report.
During the escort, American forces struck nearly 60 Iranian military targets around the strategic waterway, including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications installations, two US officials told CNN. Several anti-ship cruise missiles were also destroyed.
Before the war began in late February, roughly 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait daily. On Monday, more than 17 million barrels made the journey, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.
US military officials expect further strikes near the strait in coming days, citing Iran’s ability to quickly rebuild its capabilities and the need for sustained pressure. The waterway remains a flashpoint in the bitter US-Iran dispute over control of one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints, as reported by Anadolu.
President Donald Trump declared American dominance over the strait on Wednesday. “We now control the Strait of Hormuz. We control it… They get nothing, and we took out ships,” he said. On Truth Social, he even suggested renaming it: “Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to Trump Strait???”
Tehran has firmly rejected Washington’s claims. Iranian officials say the strait will stay closed or heavily restricted until the US meets conditions linked to an interim deal reached in June. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy accused the US of manipulating oil markets and hiding military failures, dismissing assertions that the waterway is “open.”
The US describes its mine-clearance operations and pre-emptive strikes as efforts to restore safe passage, targeting systems it alleges were preparing to deploy mines.
