A special maritime corridor has been quietly established by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, enabling the transport of millions of barrels of oil from the Persian Gulf to international markets.
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Two US officials told Axios that the operation began several weeks ago and is intended to maintain the continuity of oil exports at a time when talks with Tehran have stalled.
Between 15 and 20 oil tankers pass through this controlled route each night. It is located in the southern part of the strait, along the coast of Oman.
Approximately 10 million barrels of oil a day are currently being transported through the corridor. This figure represents roughly half the volume that passed through the strait before the war.
The operation is not limited to escorting tankers loaded with oil. US forces are also coordinating the movement of empty tankers entering the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz.
After arriving at ports in countries across the region, these vessels are loaded with oil and return to international markets through the same maritime corridor.
The full details of the operation have not been made public.
“We have controlled the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz for two months. The Revolutionary Guard may cause problems, but it does not control the strait. We control it,” said one of the US officials familiar with the operation.
According to US officials, between 15 and 20 tankers have passed through the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz each night over the past two weeks, keeping oil exports active.
The average daily volume being transported is increasing and is now close to 10 million barrels of oil a day.
On some nights, the amount of oil leaving the Gulf has reached between 15 million and 20 million barrels.
Axios reported that more than 20 vessels were scheduled to pass through the southern corridor on one night this week. If the plan had been carried out, around 15 million barrels of oil could have been sent to international markets.
US President Donald Trump told Axios that “a tremendous amount of oil is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz.” He also emphasized that the United States is not currently holding negotiations with Iran.
“They are wasting time. It is a waste of time to negotiate with them,” Trump said.
The US president said that the Iranians “still have some fighting power,” but added that, “in general, they are a shadow of their former selves.”
