On Oct. 25 CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper visited the Strait of Hormuz
and said US forces have assisted Gulf partners in exporting over 1.5 billion
barrels of oil since this summer. Cooper credited US personnel with clearing the
Strait’s main commercial routes of Iran-laid sea mines, keeping them open. He
said that despite actions by the IRGC, more than 95% of vessels have transited
the Strait safely in recent months, and that CENTCOM will continue coordinating
with US interagency partners, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the shipping
industry to safeguard freedom of navigation and commercial shipping.
