The feedback from a US CENTCOM spokesperson come amid heightened tensions over transport via the important waterway.
Revealed On 16 Sep 2026
Regardless of an ongoing blockade on Iranian maritime commerce and assaults by Iran’s navy on industrial ships, america navy has mentioned US forces have stored the Strait of Hormuz open to industrial transport, together with the facilitation of tons of of thousands and thousands of barrels of oil via the strategic waterway.
On Wednesday, US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), mentioned site visitors via the strait “continues to circulate” whereas rejecting the suggestion that Iran controls the waterway.
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The US and Iran have continued to make competing claims about who has higher management of the important Strait of Hormuz within the Gulf.
“Since early Might, we’ve assisted industrial vessels shifting greater than 900 million barrels of crude oil via the Strait of Hormuz to the worldwide power market,” Hawkins informed Al Jazeera English’s Tom McRae.
The CENTCOM spokesperson mentioned US forces had been finishing up two simultaneous missions: facilitating industrial site visitors whereas imposing what he described as a extremely efficient blockade.
“We’ve redirected greater than 100 ships that had been attempting to violate the blockade,” Hawkins mentioned.
Hawkins added that US forces had accomplished clearing mines from internationally recognised main transport lanes within the strait a number of weeks in the past.
“We stay vigilant. We stay current and watchful to make sure these lanes keep clear,” he mentioned.
“The strait is open. These lanes are open. And that’s the reason industrial vessels proceed to circulate via them.”
CENTCOM’s feedback come amid continued tensions over transport via the Strait of Hormuz, a important route for international power provides.
Hawkins additionally defended US navy operations within the area after being requested about civilian casualties and harm to civilian infrastructure.
The town of Kuhestak, situated in southern Iran’s Sirik County in Hormozgan province, near the Strait of Hormuz, was the goal of a number of assaults by the US navy earlier this month, with native sources and authorities saying a marriage ceremony was struck with a number of individuals killed and dozens wounded.
Hawkins mentioned the US navy “strictly adheres to the legal guidelines of armed battle” and that its targets had been navy websites, together with amenities belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We’ve by no means focused civilians throughout our operations,” he mentioned.
On harm to US navy amenities brought on by Iranian assaults, Hawkins mentioned it had not affected the US navy’s operational effectiveness, claiming that American forces had considerably degraded Iran’s missile capabilities and “basically eradicated Iran’s navy”.
