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US military created secret path through Hormuz, 10 million barrels of oil pass daily - report
A new report details a covert US military operation that has established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, moving approximately 10 million barrels of oil daily. The operation, reportedly coordinated from Fort Bragg, was enabled by a campaign that degraded Iran's radar and surveillance capabilities.
The US military has quietly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, facilitating the movement of millions of barrels of oil each day, according to a report by Axios cited by multiple outlets. The operation, which has been underway for several weeks, allows 15 to 20 tankers to transit the strait nightly through a southern channel along the coast of Oman, as reported by Daily Sabah and India Today.
Operation details
The corridor moves about 10 million barrels of oil per day out of the Gulf and into global markets, roughly half the pre-war volume, according to US officials cited by Axios. The reports indicate that US forces are also helping empty tankers travel from the Arabian Sea through the strait to Gulf ports, where they load oil from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait before returning through the strait.
The operation is coordinated by a US task force based at Army headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with regional Gulf partners, as detailed by India Today. Daily Sabah added that the task force runs from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division headquarters. Tankers are organized into scheduled inbound and outbound convoys that transit the southern channel under US military guidance, with checkpoints assigned for ships to report their movements. US Air Force fighter jets patrol overhead to detect potential missile and drone attacks, according to the reports.
Strategic context and Iranian response
The operation was enabled by a recent two-week US Central Command campaign that damaged Iran's radar and maritime surveillance systems, the reports said. This has reduced Iran's ability to monitor traffic through the southern channel to a limited number of restored radars and observers aboard small Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats, according to India Today.
Iranian forces have launched attacks toward suspected shipping routes, but many missiles and drones have been intercepted by US forces, the reports noted. One US official told Axios that American forces shot down eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles on Monday night, as reported by Daily Sabah.
A US official was quoted by Daily Sabah as saying: "We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now," and that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "doesn't control the strait."
Presidential statements
President Donald Trump told Axios: "There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz," and said Washington is not currently negotiating with Iran, as reported by Daily Sabah and India Today. Speaking to reporters, Trump said "The strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through," and added that "We are getting a lot of oil out," according to Jerusalem Post.
Trump also noted that the price of oil is decreasing, saying "they were talking about $350 a barrel, but today it's $84-$85." He predicted that "The Hormuz Strait is not going to be quite as important as it was in the past" because "people found other alternatives [to the strait], record numbers of pipelines are being built," as quoted by Jerusalem Post.
Shipping data and traffic
Despite the reported operation, shipping data shows traffic through the strait remains relatively low. Reuters reported that only six commodity vessels passed through the strait on Tuesday, well below normal traffic, according to India Today. Kpler data, cited by Jerusalem Post, showed six commodity vessels crossed on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Kpler also noted that some vessels could be passing with transponders switched off and thus not counted in the tally, according to Jerusalem Post.
Background
The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20 percent of the world's oil consumption and about a quarter of globally traded oil, as well as around 11.4 billion cubic feet of LNG a day, has been a major flashpoint since the Iran war broke out on February 28, according to India Today. Trump declared the strategic waterway a US territory, India Today reported.
On Tuesday, Trump insisted the strait was open, contradicting Iran's assertion that it remained shut to shipping, as reported by Jerusalem Post. The development of the corridor came days after Trump ruled out extending a 60-day fragile ceasefire deal with Iran, saying the strait remains open and the US has "total control" of the key waterway, according to India Today.
Daily Sabah reported that Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the war, but talks have stalled over implementation and navigation through the strait. Negotiations involving Iran and Oman over navigation arrangements have continued without a breakthrough.
How each outlet told it
Daily Sabah
Framing: Emphasizes the 'clandestine' nature of the shipping corridor, focusing on the operation's secrecy — neutral and matter-of-fact, supported by the quote 'There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz'
Facts Included:
US military established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, reported by Axios, citing two US officials
Operation allows millions of barrels of oil to pass through daily
Trump told Axios: 'There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz' and said Washington is not currently negotiating with Iran
Operation underway for several weeks, allowing 15 to 20 tankers per night using a southern channel along the coast of Oman
About 10 million barrels per day moving through, roughly half pre-war level
US forces helping empty tankers enter the Gulf from the Arabian Sea, load oil from UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, and return through the strait
US official quote: 'We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now' and Iran's IRGC 'doesn't control the strait'
Operation coordinated by task force from Army's 82nd Airborne Division headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
US military organizes vessels into scheduled inbound and outbound groups, assigns checkpoints for ships to report movements
US Air Force fighter jets patrol overhead to detect potential missile and drone attacks
Operation became possible after a two-week CENTCOM campaign that damaged Iran's radar and maritime surveillance capabilities
Iranian forces continued to target shipping routes with drones and cruise missiles; one US official said American forces shot down eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles Monday night
Oil shipments recently approached 10 million barrels per day, with some nights seeing 15-20 million barrels
Strait of Hormuz is a major route for oil exports; disruptions have affected global energy supplies and oil prices
Report comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington following months of conflict
Iran and US signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the war, but talks have stalled over implementation and navigation through the strait
Negotiations involving Iran and Oman over navigation arrangements have continued without a breakthrough
Framing: Emphasizes the 'secret' oil shipping corridor and the 'Iran stalemate', framing it as a new development amid a larger conflict — analytical and measured, supported by detailed operational facts and the quote 'There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz'
Facts Included:
US military secretly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, reported by Axios, citing two US officials
Operation has been underway for several weeks, with 15-20 tankers entering and exiting the strait each night through a southern channel along Oman's coast
About 10 million barrels of oil a day being transported out of the Gulf, roughly half the pre-war volume
US military also helping empty tankers travel from the Arabian Sea through Hormuz into Gulf ports to collect oil
Operation coordinated by a US task force based at Army headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with regional Gulf partners
Tankers organized into scheduled inbound and outbound convoys transiting the southern channel under US military guidance
Operation enabled by a recent two-week US Central Command campaign that damaged Iran's radar and maritime surveillance systems
US Air Force providing protection against Iranian drones and cruise missiles
Iran's ability to monitor traffic through the southern channel reduced to a limited number of restored radars and observers aboard small Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats
Iranian forces launched attacks towards suspected shipping routes, but many missiles and drones intercepted by US forces
Over the past two weeks, 15-20 tankers crossed each night, with average daily oil exports now approaching 10 million barrels; on some days, exports reached 15 million-20 million barrels
Operation eased one of the biggest economic consequences of the war – disruption to oil supplies through Hormuz
Flows remain below pre-war levels
Trump told Axios on Wednesday: 'There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz' and said Washington was not currently negotiating with Iran
Full details of the US operation had not previously been reported
Strait of Hormuz became a major flashpoint since Iran war broke out on February 28
Trump declared the strategic waterway a US territory
Strait carries roughly 20 percent of world's oil consumption and about a quarter of globally traded oil; also carries around 11.4 billion cubic feet of LNG a day
Reuters reported on Wednesday that only six commodity vessels had passed through on Tuesday, well below normal traffic
Framing: Highlights the secret path and the daily oil volume, emphasizing the operation's scale — neutral and matter-of-fact, supported by the quote 'The strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through.'
Facts Included:
US military conducting a stealth operation to transport oil through the Strait of Hormuz, sources told Axios on Wednesday
15 to 20 tankers safely transited the strait along a southern channel across the coast of Oman, operation underway for several weeks
Around 10 million barrels of oil a day being transported out of the strait, roughly half pre-war volume
Trump told reporters: 'The strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through.'
Trump said price of oil is decreasing: 'they were talking about $350 a barrel, but today it's $84-$85.'
Trump said: 'The Hormuz Strait is not going to be quite as important as it was in the past' because 'people found other alternatives [to the strait], record numbers of pipelines are being built.'
Trump added: 'We are getting a lot of oil out.'
Kpler data on Tuesday showed six commodity vessels crossed the strait, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11
Kpler noted some vessels could be passing with transponders switched off and not counted in the tally
On Tuesday, Trump said no talks were taking place with Iran and insisted the strait was open, contradicting Iran's assertion that it remained shut
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe US military has secretly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to transport oil, as reported by Axios citing two US officials.
ClaimThe US military is helping empty tankers travel from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz into Gulf ports to collect oil before returning through the strait.
ClaimThe US Hormuz shipping operation is coordinated by a US task force based at Army headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with regional Gulf partners.
ClaimTankers in the US Hormuz operation are organized into scheduled inbound and outbound convoys that transit the southern channel under US military guidance.
ClaimThe US Hormuz shipping operation was enabled by a recent two-week US Central Command campaign that damaged Iran's radar and maritime surveillance systems.
ClaimIran's ability to monitor traffic through the southern channel of the Strait of Hormuz has been reduced to a limited number of restored radars and observers aboard small Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats.
ClaimIranian forces have launched attacks toward suspected shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, but many missiles and drones have been intercepted by US forces.
ClaimOver the past two weeks, 15-20 tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz each night, with average daily oil exports approaching 10 million barrels.
ClaimKpler data showed six commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
ClaimKpler noted that some vessels could be passing through the Strait of Hormuz with their transponders switched off and would not be counted in shipping tallies.
ClaimUS President Donald Trump said the Hormuz Strait is not going to be quite as important as it was in the past because people found other alternatives and record numbers of pipelines are being built.
ClaimOne US official said: "We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now," and that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "doesn't control the strait."
ClaimIran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the war, but talks have stalled over implementation and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
ClaimThe development of the US Hormuz corridor came days after Trump ruled out extending a 60-day fragile ceasefire deal with Iran, saying the Strait of Hormuz remains open and the US has total control of the key waterway.