American forces have cleared internationally recognized shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and sharply reduced Iran’s ability to strike commercial vessels, allowing tanker traffic to recover as Washington seeks to turn its growing military advantage into additional economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The United States has gained a significant advantage in the battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of mine-clearing operations, airstrikes and military escorts reduced Iran’s ability to interfere with commercial shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors, according to Axios.
U.S. officials say internationally recognized shipping lanes through the strait are again free of Iranian sea mines, while an American-protected southern route is handling growing numbers of oil tankers each night.
President Donald Trump portrayed the change as a major turning point in the six-month conflict.
“That sucker is open. The Iranian response is very mild. They don’t want us to go back at them,” Trump told Axios on Thursday.
“That’s the whole ball game. The rest doesn’t matter,” he added.
The improvement follows months of disruption that began when Iran attempted to close the Strait of Hormuz during the opening days of the war in late February.
According to U.S. and Israeli officials, Iranian forces threatened commercial tankers and placed naval mines in the principal international shipping lane.
The action largely stopped normal commercial traffic through the strait and contributed to rising global energy prices.
Shipping remained far below prewar levels even after an April ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran in June.
Iranian attacks and restrictions continued to interfere with maritime commerce despite those diplomatic developments.
When the U.S.-Iran agreement later collapsed, Washington shifted toward reopening the waterway without Iranian cooperation.
American forces began working with the United Arab Emirates to escort commercial ships through a southern channel, providing air protection while intercepting Iranian drones and cruise missiles aimed at vessels operating in the area.
The United States simultaneously launched a two-week bombing campaign that officials say substantially damaged the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ability to threaten shipping through the strait.
A separate operation was underway beneath the surface.
Navy divers, SEALs, unmanned systems and private contractors conducted an extensive effort to identify and remove suspected mines from the main international shipping route.
More than 200 suspected mines have been removed, U.S. officials told Axios.
Only 11 of those objects ultimately proved to be actual mines, and officials said just a few of the confirmed mines had been deployed correctly.
The mine-clearing campaign was accompanied by the restoration of the American blockade against Iranian ports, increasing the economic and military pressure on Tehran while commercial traffic gradually returned to surrounding waters.
Iran has not completely stopped attacking ships.
Its forces continue firing at vessels transiting the area, but American officials say their effectiveness has declined considerably.
One U.S. official told Axios that only about 2% of ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz during the past month were successfully hit by Iranian attacks.
Traffic through the protected southern route has meanwhile climbed to approximately 20 to 30 tankers each night.
Those vessels are transporting an average of 9 million to 10 million barrels, equal to approximately half the volume that moved through the strait before the war.
U.S. Central Command announced Thursday that another important objective had been achieved.
“We achieved a major milestone in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said. “Internationally recognized sea routes in the strait are free of Iranian sea mines.”
The maritime operation is also expanding beyond the United States and the UAE.
Bahrain and Kuwait have joined the U.S.-backed effort, while Saudi Arabia is expected to participate as well.
Washington is seeking Qatar’s involvement and hopes Qatari liquefied natural gas tankers will begin using the protected shipping corridor.
American officials are now setting more ambitious targets for restoring trade.
The goal is to increase traffic through the protected routes to at least 50 ships each night by the middle of September.
Officials also hope to restore oil exports moving through the area to between 60% and 70% of prewar levels.
Those objectives would represent a substantial recovery from the near-shutdown of commercial shipping that followed Iran’s initial effort to close the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz occupies an unusually important position in global energy markets because large quantities of petroleum and natural gas exported by Gulf countries must pass through the narrow waterway before reaching international buyers.
Even partial disruptions can therefore affect worldwide supplies and prices.
Washington’s improving military position in the strait may also influence negotiations with Tehran.
Two regional sources told Axios that Iranian officials have recently demonstrated renewed interest in returning to diplomatic talks.
The White House believes Iran’s declining ability to control Hormuz, combined with the U.S. blockade and increasing economic pressure, could force Tehran to reconsider some of its negotiating demands.
Trump indicated Thursday that he does not feel pressure to immediately reopen discussions.
“I don’t want to meet, they do. In fact, they are begging to make a deal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff remains in communication with Qatar and other intermediaries as the administration evaluates whether Iran is prepared to make concessions.
The administration’s strategy now combines several forms of pressure.
American forces are reopening shipping routes that Iran attempted to close, while the blockade restricts Iranian maritime commerce and U.S. military operations continue degrading Tehran’s ability to threaten vessels.
At the same time, increasing participation from Gulf allies is allowing more commercial traffic to move under military protection.
The result is a substantially different situation from the opening weeks of the conflict, when Iranian mines and attacks brought commercial shipping through Hormuz close to a standstill.
Although traffic has not returned to normal and Iranian attacks continue, U.S. officials say Tehran’s capacity to determine which ships can safely transit the strait has been significantly diminished.
If Washington reaches its mid-September objective of at least 50 vessels per night and restores oil movements to as much as 70% of prewar levels, the military campaign could also ease some of the energy-market disruption created by the war.
For the Trump administration, however, reopening Hormuz serves an additional strategic purpose.
By taking control of protected shipping routes while maintaining pressure on Iranian ports and degrading the IRGC’s maritime capabilities, Washington is seeking to deprive Tehran of one of its most powerful sources of leverage.
Trump has made clear that he believes the shift has already occurred.
“That’s the whole ball game,” he said.
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