WASHINGTON, Aug. 20– The U.S. military has quietly established a shipping corridor in and out of the Strait of Hormuz to transport millions of barrels of oil each day, U.S. online news outlet Axios reported Wednesday.
The operation has been underway for several weeks with 15 to 20 oil tankers moving in and out of the global energy waterway each night through a southern channel along the coast of Oman, said the report, citing two U.S. officials, as peace talks between the United States and Iran remain at a stalemate.
The average daily exports have been growing and are now close to 10 million barrels, according to the U.S. officials.
“We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps can be a nuisance, but they don’t control the strait. We do,” one of the U.S. officials, who has direct knowledge of the matter, was quoted as saying.
The U.S. Air Force has fighter jets that protect against Iranian cruise missiles and drones, according to the report, adding that some ships have been hit by Iranian attacks, but many were stopped by the U.S. military.
Earlier this week, U.S. forces shot down eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles, one of the U.S. officials was quoted as saying.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested talks with Tehran could start again “at some point,” claiming the situation with Iran is “so good.”
“Right now, I think the situation is so good,” Trump told reporters, reiterating his claim that the United States is in “possession” of and has “complete control” over the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since shortly after the United States and Israel launched a massive military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
