Despite Trump’s public escort plan being dropped, the U.S. military is quietly
coordinating with willing commercial vessels to protect transits through the
Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM statements, shipping data and sources show ships are
switching off transponders and hugging the Omani coast in the Sea of Oman to
avoid suspected Iranian sea mines; U.S. forces provide assistance when needed.
On Tuesday, amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, CENTCOM said its forces shot
down an Iranian attack drone that was targeting "civilian mariners legally
transiting regional waters" and carried out a self-defence strike on an Iranian
ground control station. Two shipping firms said they had been in touch with U.S.
forces for transit advice; one source said a helicopter intervened to drive off
a suspected Iranian fast-attack boat during a recent passage.
