TAMPA, FLORIDA 4 Auh 2026 – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that American forces have assisted more than 1,000 commercial vessels in successfully transiting the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months, despite ongoing Iranian threats and aggression.
In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM emphasized that the southern route through the strategic waterway “remains free and open for all commercial vessels seeking to transit the international waterway.” The command added that these transits “continue today.”
The update comes amid prolonged tensions between the United States and Iran that have disrupted shipping in the vital chokepoint, through which a significant share of the world’s oil normally passes. CENTCOM has repeatedly stressed that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has no authority to dictate shipping routes.
Earlier statements from the command indicated that U.S. support since early May has also facilitated the movement of hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil. American forces have provided guidance, surveillance, and protection along safer routes closer to the Omani coast while countering Iranian attempts to interfere with commercial traffic.
Traffic volumes remain well below pre-conflict levels, when more than 100 ships typically crossed the strait each day. Nevertheless, CENTCOM maintains that commercial vessels continue to move through the waterway with U.S. military assistance, rejecting Iranian claims that the strait is closed or under Tehran’s exclusive control.
The announcement coincides with continued U.S. efforts to enforce freedom of navigation while maintaining pressure on Iranian ports through targeted interdiction operations.
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