The United States military has established a shipping corridor in the Strait of Hormuz undetected by Iran, Axios claims. The waterway moves about 10 million barrels of oil a day, about half the pre-war supply to the energy market, according to two anonymous U.S. officials.
The secret operation, according to the publication's interlocutors, has been going on for several weeks, during which 15 to 20 tankers entered and exited the strait through the southern channel along the coast of Oman. The US military is helping empty ships enter the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea through the waterway, take oil from countries in the region, and then exit back.
“We have been monitoring the southern channel of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may be a nuisance, but it does not control the strait,” a US official told Axios.
According to the publication, a task force was formed to conduct the maneuvers, which is based at the headquarters of the ground forces at Fort Bragg (North Carolina). It coordinates its actions with regional partners in the Persian Gulf, compiling a daily list of ships leaving it through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Sea. There are similar lists of empty tankers, which, on the contrary, are heading to the region to replenish oil reserves.
Every night, ships line up in one large line to leave at a certain time interval, and at other times a formation of tankers prepares to enter the water passage, the publication explains. The ships then pass through the southern canal under the direction of the US military, and are protected by US Air Force fighters, who protect the transport from Iranian cruise missiles and drones.
“According to officials, the operation was made possible by a recent two-week military campaign by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), during which Iranian radar and maritime surveillance systems were disabled,” adds Axios.
At the same time, Iran still has limited visibility of traffic in the southern channel due to several restored radars and with the help of small speedboats of the IRGC, sources told the publication. Tehran forces have also launched drones and cruise missiles in the direction where ships may be passing, causing damage to some vessels. According to Axios interlocutors, many of these attacks were repelled by the US military. Pentagon forces shot down eight Iranian drones and two missiles this week, a US official said.
In a comment to the publication, American President Donald Trump said that “a huge amount of oil” is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, and the White House is not negotiating with the Islamic Republic because it is “a waste of time.”
Last week, the US leader said that following the confrontation he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz as American waters. Iran emphasized its intention to continue blocking the waterway, which is important for oil trade, until Tehran’s demands are met.
On Wednesday, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Iran has prepared a contingency plan that includes destroying undersea fiber optic communications cables located in the Strait of Hormuz.
