US: Hormuz oil exports exceed 1.5B barrels
Shafaq News- Washington
US forces have helped Gulf partners export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz since summer, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday, as its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, visited the strategic waterway.
CENTCOM said more than 3,000 commercial vessels had crossed the strait with US military support over the past six months. Cooper surveyed ongoing operations aboard a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter and met service members involved in clearing naval mines. He reaffirmed Washington's commitment to freedom of navigation and cooperation with Gulf partners and the shipping industry.
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— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 25, 2026
The command said US forces had cleared international shipping lanes of naval mines laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Cooper said the main transit routes remained free of Iranian mines and that US forces were working with government agencies, Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and shipping companies to maintain commercial traffic.
More than 95% of vessels navigating the strait in recent months passed through safely despite what it called unwarranted IRGC aggression, according to CENTCOM.
The visit coincided with US President Donald Trump's announcement on Sunday that Washington would not attack Iran that day. In remarks to Fox News, Trump raised the possibility of reaching an agreement with Tehran or taking further military action. He also said Washington knew exactly what was happening at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site near the Natanz nuclear facility.
Reuters has described Pickaxe Mountain as a heavily fortified site containing deeply buried tunnel complexes. Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike the site, while Iran maintains that no nuclear activity is taking place there, and later said he had received two differing intelligence assessments on Iran but that Washington was making progress in its dealings with Tehran.
