CENTCOM chief tours the Strait of Hormuz, says it is free of mines and 1.5 billion barrels have been exported

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, visited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday^5,6. He flew over the strait in a US Army CH-47 Chinook on 25 October and said it was free of mines⁴.

During the visit, Cooper met US service members involved in the mine clearance operation and thanked them³. Central Command presented the trip as part of a ‘milestone week’^1,8.

The US military said American troops had reached the milestone of assisting Gulf partners in exporting more than 1.5 billion barrels of oil^2,3. Central Command said on Sunday that Hormuz oil exports had exceeded that figure⁷.

The US military also said that more than 95% of ships navigate the Strait of Hormuz safely despite what it called Iranian ‘aggression’². Cooper said the US military ‘will continue to stand’ with its partners in the region⁶. The visit was part of the US effort to keep shipments and crude moving through the strait⁵.

Why it matters to investors

These figures come from the US military, which is a party to the conflict, and other coverage paints a less settled picture^2,9. Nearly 500 vessels faced delays in the Strait of Hormuz after a tanker attack near Oman, raising maritime security concerns⁹.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported that shipping through Hormuz has slumped and that the strait remains severely disrupted following the US-Israeli war on Iran¹⁰. By contrast, it said traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb strait has held steady¹⁰.

The gap between the two accounts matters for oil supply, tanker rates and insurance costs. Central Command’s claims of mine-free waters and a 95% safe-passage rate describe a route that is functioning^2,4; the reports of hundreds of delayed vessels and slumping traffic describe one that is still impaired^9,10.

The 1.5 billion barrel figure is the US military’s own tally of exports it says it helped Gulf partners make³. It is a cumulative measure and does not by itself show whether traffic is now rising or falling⁷.

What to watch

The next readings from shipping monitors will show whether the strait’s traffic recovers or stays depressed after the latest tanker attack^9,10.

Further statements from Central Command on mine clearance and escort operations will indicate how long the US expects to keep its current posture in the strait^3,6.

Any new attack on commercial shipping would test the US military’s claim that the vast majority of vessels now pass safely².