U.S. Central Command has helped around 70
commercial ships pass through the strait in the last three weeks, an official said.
1. U.S. military coordinating commercial ship
transits
o U.S. Central Command has helped guide
around 70 commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz over the past three
weeks.
2. Ships using "dark" transit mode
o Most vessels reportedly switched off their
transponders while crossing to reduce the risk of detection and attack.
3. Alternative route avoids Iranian coastline
o U.S.-guided vessels appear to be using
routes closer to Oman rather than sailing near Iran's coast.
o Ships passing near Iran without approval
face a high risk of drone or missile attacks.
4. Shipping activity remains far below normal
levels
o Before the conflict, more than 100 ships
passed through the strait daily.
o U.S.-coordinated crossings average only
about three vessels per day.
5. Some shipowners willing to accept the
risks
o The U.S.-assisted route provides an option
for vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf and seeking to resume operations.
6. Alternative to Iranian-controlled passage
o The U.S.-guided route allows shipowners to
avoid seeking Iranian permission or paying transit-related charges.
7. Strait remains critical to global energy
supplies
o Before the war, approximately one-fifth of
global oil trade and significant natural gas shipments moved through the Strait
of Hormuz.
8. Peace negotiations remain uncertain
o Earlier expectations of an agreement to
reopen the strait have weakened after reported changes to U.S. negotiating
terms.
9. No direct naval escorts currently provided
o Following the termination of Project
Freedom, the U.S. military continues coordinating and advising ships but does
not formally escort them.
10. Iran continues to exert influence over
shipping
o Many vessels still use routes close to
Iran's coast, indicating ongoing coordination with Tehran.
o Iran maintains that it controls access to
the waterway.
11. U.S. blockade targeting Iran-linked
shipping
o Since mid-April, U.S. forces have
redirected 116 vessels connected to Iranian ports as part of efforts to
restrict Iran's oil exports.
12. Dark shipping routes increasingly common
o Maritime data indicates that around 40% of
Strait of Hormuz crossings since March have occurred via untracked or
"dark" routes.
13. Risk of attacks remains
o A container ship operated by CMA CGM was
attacked during a transit in May, highlighting the continued security threat in
the region.
Despite
ongoing conflict and uncertainty over peace negotiations, the United States is
quietly facilitating limited commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
While these efforts provide an alternative route for stranded vessels and help
sustain some energy flows, traffic remains well below normal levels, and
significant security risks continue to disrupt global trade and energy markets.
[ABS News Service/01.06.2026]
American
forces in recent weeks have helped coordinate the passage of dozens of commercial
vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials, even as travel
through the waterway remains risky amid stalled negotiations to end the war with
Iran.
U.S.
Central Command has guided around 70 commercial ships through the strait, traveling
into and out of the Persian Gulf, in the last three weeks, one of the officials
said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. The U.S.
officials added that most of the vessels had turned off their transponders to avoid
detection when going through the narrow waterway.
The
officials declined to say what type of vessels were going through and what route
they took, but one official indicated that at least one route was not close to the
Iranian coastline. Ships passing near Iran without obtaining Iranian approval face
the threat of an almost-certain attack by Iranian drones or missiles, U.S. officials
said. Shipping analysts say the U.S.-guided crossings appear to follow routes that
are closer to Oman.
Before
the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, well over 100 commercial ships
a day passed through the strait. So the U.S.-coordinated
passages — an average of three a day over the three-week period — do not represent
a big comeback for shipping. And because U.S.-guided crossings take place with transponders
turned off, known as “dark” passages, shipping analysts say they cannot independently
verify how many may have taken place.
Still,
a steady passage of ships under U.S. guidance would suggest that some shipowners
are willing to take the risk to get in and out of the Persian Gulf, where many vessels
have been stranded for weeks, losing money and leaving their crews in trying conditions.
The
U.S.-coordinated route is also an alternative for shipowners who don’t want to have
to get permission from Iran or pay a toll to make the crossing. The conflict with
Iran has led to a sharp reduction in energy supplies to world markets.
Last
week, U.S. officials said Iran and the United States were close to reaching an agreement
that would reopen the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and a significant
proportion of its natural gas traveled before the war.
But on Sunday, U.S. officials said President Trump had toughened the terms of a
framework for a deal.
In
early May, Mr. Trump announced a major military operation, Project Freedom, to help
get ships through the strait, but then quickly ended it, partly because of objections
from Saudi Arabia. Since then, Central Command has encouraged ships to make the
passage but has stopped short of providing a naval escort.
“Though
U.S. forces are not escorting, we continue to communicate and coordinate with commercial
ships seeking to freely and safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international
corridor for regional and global economies,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Central Command
spokesman, said in a statement on Saturday.
Vessels
taking the U.S. route still risk being attacked by Iran, which has claimed that
it controls the waterway. American officials say that the Iranian risk is exaggerated
and have sought to talk willing vessels through a safe passage to the other side
of the strait. While the assistance is known within shipping circles, U.S. officials
acknowledge that they have not widely publicized it to avoid Iran targeting vessels
venturing through under American guidance.
A
container ship was attacked in early May even though it was making the passage during
Project Freedom. The ship’s owner, France’s CMA CGM, said it was coordinating with
the U.S. military but Central Command said the French ship had not followed certain
guidelines.
Noam
Raydan, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Central
Command’s total of 70 U.S.-coordinated crossings was higher than she had expected.
Because the crossings were done with transponders turned off, Ms. Raydan said it
would take time to confirm how many vessels had coordinated with the United States.
“And
I doubt names will be revealed, especially if some companies worry about a response
from Iran in the future for coordinating with the U.S.,” she said in an email.
During
Project Freedom, two ships flying the American maritime flag went through the strait.
In
mid-April, the United States started a blockade against ships that had visited Iranian
ports. So far, that blockade, operating in the Gulf of Oman, has redirected 116
ships, according to Central Command. The effort has largely cut off Iran’s oil exports.
But
Iran still has significant sway over the strait. Many ships continue to use the
route that sails close to Iran’s coast, an indication that shipowners and governments
are coordinating their passages with Tehran.
Of
the 895 crossings of the strait from March 1 to May 19, just over half were done
on the Iran route, according to Kpler, a maritime data company. Around 40 percent
took an unknown or dark route.