US secretly creates shipping corridor in Strait of Hormuz to ensure uninterrupted oil flow, media reports
The US military has quietly created a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the daily passage of millions of barrels of oil, Axios News reported on Wednesday, citing two US officials.
When military force takes on the role of logistics operator, the world enters a zone of uncertainty. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a third of the world's seaborne oil passes, has always been a vulnerable point in the global economy. But what was once a matter of diplomatic dispute has now become a zone of direct military control. By creating the corridor, the US is not just protecting tankers — it is taking on the role of guarantor of supplies, mixing security and geopolitics in a proportion that could shift the balance of power in the region.
The operation, which has been under way for several weeks, has seen 15 to 20 tankers per day travelling along the southern route off the coast of Oman over the past two weeks. According to US officials, daily oil shipments are steadily rising and are now approaching 10 million barrels, and on some nights total exports from the Gulf reach 15–20 million barrels. Although oil volumes passing through the Strait remain below pre war levels, the operation has already had a noticeable impact on global supplies.
According to Axios News, the operation goes beyond escorting laden oil tankers. It also helps empty tankers enter the Gulf through the Strait from the Arabian Sea, where they load oil from regional countries before departing. A task force managing the operation under the command of the US Army headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, coordinates with Gulf partners to compile daily lists of ships leaving the Strait for the Arabian Sea, as well as empty tankers entering the Gulf through the Strait from the Arabian Sea. Under the plan, these vessels form large convoys at a set time each night — one group leaving and another entering. US aviation provides protection for these vessels against Iranian cruise missile and drone attacks.
US officials also said that recent operations by US Central Command have weakened Iranian radar and maritime surveillance systems, significantly reducing Iran's ability to track ship movements along the southern route of the Strait. According to them, many Iranian attacks on vessels have been intercepted by US forces. Iran has not yet responded to the reports.
The conflict over the Strait of Hormuz escalated on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched a large scale military campaign against Iran in response to its nuclear programme. Since then, the strait has been effectively closed to commercial shipping, leading to higher energy prices and heightened uncertainty in global markets. The US has repeatedly stated its readiness to ensure freedom of navigation, and the creation of a military corridor is a practical implementation of that pledge. In a separate statement posted on social media on 19 August, US Central Command said that US forces continue to enforce a naval blockade of Iran. As of 19 August, US forces had diverted 65 commercial vessels, disabled three and conducted inspections on two to enforce order.
As CCTV+ reports, the creation of a military shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz is an unprecedented step that shifts the balance of power in the region. On the one hand, it ensures stable oil supplies on which global markets depend. On the other, it turns the strait from an international waterway into a zone of US military responsibility, inevitably heightening tensions with Iran. In the coming weeks, the world will be watching closely, as Tehran's response will determine whether this corridor remains a temporary solution or becomes the new normal in the Gulf.
