Overview
- U.S. forces have covertly coordinated a southern corridor near Oman for several weeks to escort commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
- About 15 to 20 tankers transit the route nightly, carrying roughly 10 million barrels of oil per day, or around half of pre‑conflict volumes.
- A Fort Bragg task force manages the convoy schedules and U.S. Central Command strikes degraded portions of Iran’s radar and maritime surveillance to make the route practicable.
- U.S. air defenses have intercepted Iranian drones and missiles and reportedly shot down multiple drones and cruise missiles, but Iran still retains strike and surveillance capabilities that leave shipping at risk.
- Gulf states led by Qatar and Oman are pushing renewed mediation to formalize reopening while the expiry of an interim agreement has tightened U.S. pressure and sent oil prices higher.