Shafaq News- Washington/ Hormuz
Between 10 million and 11 million barrels of oil are passing through the Strait of Hormuz each day, a senior White House official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, playing down the impact of restrictions imposed by Iran on the strategic waterway.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said signs of Iran's influence over the gateway are weakening week by week, as alternative routes developed by the US Navy help keep commercial shipping moving.
On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that it had diverted 105 commercial ships since the United States resumed its naval blockade of Iran on July 14.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler, however, reported that vessel traffic through the Strait fell to just three ships on Wednesday, down from 12 a day earlier and well below the 10-day average of about 17.
Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world's oil passes, has remained largely closed under Iranian restrictions since Feb. 28, following the joint US-Israeli war on Iran. The corridor briefly reopened after a US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) took effect on June 18, but closed again amid renewed military escalation, with Tehran maintaining that the waterway remains under Iranian control. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has described the waterway as "open and operating."