In a secret operation: Did the United States open a new shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz?
A popular US news podcast claims that satellite imagery shows the US Navy has successfully conducted underwater dredging in Omani waters, enabling a new transit route that makes it difficult for the Iranians to target shipping. The claim aligns with reports in the Axios news agency that Washington has managed to gain superiority in the strait.
The United States has managed to open a new shipping lane that had not previously been used significantly in the Strait of Hormuz after completing seabed dredging work near the coast of Oman, the popular news podcast "Morse Report" reported overnight.
According to the claims, the US Navy carried out underwater dredging work to allow the passage of large oil tankers in the channel between the Musandam Peninsula, part of Oman's territory, and the Omani coast, thereby providing a shipping lane that is hidden by the peninsula and makes it difficult for Iran to target the vessels passing through it. The podcast provided evidence for the claims in the form of satellite imagery showing a large oil tanker passing through the waterway.
It is important to note that Tehran is still capable of hitting ships sailing in the new passage using UAVs and missiles, but it is a more difficult task as the route is close to the Omani coastline and is partially protected by the Musandam Peninsula itself.
These reports come against the backdrop of repeated claims that the United States has managed to significantly increase the volume of fuel exiting the strait through a regular regime of tankers sailing without active transponders and transporting fuel from tanker to tanker just outside the strait's area.
The American news agency "Axios" published a report today by journalist Barak Ravid that the United States is coming out on top in the battle for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the report, in the last two months, sources in Washington say that the US military has steadily eroded Iran's power over the important waterway.
American officials claimed to the news agency that they have turned the tables in the strait and believe this could be a defining moment in the war that will bring not only gradual relief to the global economy, but also a better deal with Iran.
"This son of a bitch is open for traffic. The Iranian response is very moderate. They don't want us to come back at them. That's the whole point. The rest doesn't matter," President Donald Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Thursday.
According to the Americans, in recent weeks, traffic through the southern channel has increased to 20 to 30 tankers every night, carrying an average of 9 to 10 million barrels of oil. This is about half the volume from before the war.
"We have achieved a significant milestone in the Strait of Hormuz. The internationally recognized sea lanes in the strait are clear of Iranian sea mines. The bottom line: today the international shipping lanes are open and the momentum is growing," said CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, in a video released on Thursday evening.
