U.S. forces have cleared Iranian sea mines from internationally recognized shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper announced Thursday, marking a significant development in American efforts to keep the vital waterway open while enforcing a naval blockade against Iran.
In an operational update, Cooper said thousands of American servicemembers are simultaneously carrying out the blockade and working to ensure that commercial vessels can continue navigating the strategically crucial Strait.
“We have successfully cleared sea mines in the Strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Cooper said. “Internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the US military.”
Cooper said the operation brought together Navy divers and Navy SEALs, along with aerial assets belonging to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The mission was carried out under hazardous conditions, he said, but U.S. personnel succeeded in eliminating the mines from the designated shipping routes.
“The circumstances were challenging and dangerous to say the least, but we got the job done,” he said. “Bottom line, today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building.”
The routes cleared by American forces are part of the internationally recognized traffic separation system used in the Strait of Hormuz, which organizes ships traveling in opposite directions through the narrow passage.
Cooper said the U.S. military has assisted nearly 1,500 commercial ships in navigating the Strait under coordinated protection in recent months. Collectively, those vessels carried nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil to markets around the world.
Iran, meanwhile, has been prevented from shipping oil from its own shores since the United States resumed its naval blockade in mid-July, according to the CENTCOM commander.
“And while American forces have supported 750 million barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf, Iran has exported zero oil from its shores since we resumed the naval blockade in mid-July. We have been highly effective,” Cooper said.
Cooper said that no ships have been permitted to enter or leave Iranian ports without U.S. authorization since the blockade resumed, aside from vessels granted exceptions for humanitarian purposes.
The operation has involved thousands of U.S. servicemembers, more than 20 warships and hundreds of aircraft. Cooper said American forces have forced 75 vessels attempting to violate the blockade to turn around and disabled three others after they refused to comply with U.S. instructions.
Cooper commended the American personnel participating in the mission and said CENTCOM remains fully committed to carrying out its objectives.
“We remain vigilant, lethal, and resolved,” he said.
The CENTCOM commander also said he recently traveled to the region, where he met with American servicemembers directly involved in the ongoing operations.
“I just could not be prouder of their efforts, and I know that the American people share that same pride,” Cooper said. He concluded by calling on U.S. personnel to remain ready for what comes next and to continue looking out for one another.
{Matzav.com}
