10 million barrels a day: Trump creates secret US-protected oil corridor through Strait of Hormuz
The effort is coordinated by a task force based at the US Army headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It aims to maintain the movement of oil tankers through the strategic waterway while limiting Iran's ability to disrupt global energy supplies
The US military has established a covert operation to coordinate and protect commercial shipping along a southern route near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, seeking to keep crude oil flowing despite the conflict and threats from Iran.
The effort is coordinated by a task force based at the US Army headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It aims to maintain the movement of oil tankers through the strategic waterway while limiting Iran's ability to disrupt global energy suppliesm says First Post.
About 15 to 20 oil tankers pass through the southern lane each night, including loaded vessels carrying crude from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, as well as empty tankers returning from deliveries.
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The operation has helped partially restore oil traffic disrupted by the war, although overall flows remain below pre-war levels.
To make the corridor viable, US Central Command has conducted a campaign targeting Iranian surveillance and military infrastructure around the strait. Iran retains drones, fast attack boats and anti-ship missiles, but its surveillance and tracking network has been degraded, making it more difficult for Iranian forces to monitor commercial vessels.
US fighter aircraft provide air cover along the route. US officials say American forces have effectively exercised temporary operational control over the southern lane for about two months, while stressing that this does not amount to formal legal ownership of the waterway.
The operation's central objectives are to maintain global energy flows and reduce Iran's ability to use the Strait of Hormuz as economic leverage during the conflict.
The security environment, however, remains unstable. Iran retains the capability to threaten commercial shipping, while the continued US military presence and escort activities could raise the risk of direct confrontation if attacks occur.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for global energy supplies, and disruption there can have consequences well beyond the countries bordering the waterway. The US operation therefore represents an effort to balance the need to keep commercial traffic moving with the risk of further military escalation.
