US facilitates the passage of 1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz amid war with Iran

The United States stated, in the midst of the war with Iran, that its military forces have facilitated the transit of more than 1,000 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced this in a video posted on its social media accounts.

According to CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, the strait's main shipping lanes were cleared of mines, and the volume of oil, cargo, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) transported over the past two weeks reached its highest level in the last six months.

"We’ve reached this significant milestone while assisting over 2000 commercial ship transits through the Strait by providing coordinated protection. Clearly momentum is building," Cooper said.

"Thousands of ships have passed through the Strait. Over 1 billion barrels of crude have been shipped from Gulf partners through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has exported zero barrels thanks to our ironclad blockade," he added.

In addition, Cooper stated that "the volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquid natural gas these past two weeks is higher than at any point in the past six months."

As for the importance of the Strait of Hormuz, it is the only maritime passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. It carries about 21% of the world's oil and 23% of LNG.

However, the conflict between the United States and Iran drastically reduced traffic along this strategic route. In response, Washington launched operations to secure maritime routes, eliminate threats to navigation, and facilitate the passage of commercial vessels through one of the world's most important energy corridors.