US quietly guides millions of barrels of oil through Strait of Hormuz in stealth operation

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Key points

• The interceptions are additionally not foolproof, with at least 15 ships taking damage from Iranian fire since June, according to the United Nations' International Maritime Organization.
• US Energy Secretary Chris Wright estimated that even more oil was sneaking through, claiming that 9 million barrels of oil were passing through Hormuz daily.
• US Central Command, which oversees the missions, approximates that it has supported more than 1, 000 ships cross the strait since the war began.
• "They have been extraordinarily effective in keeping that southern corridor operating, despite the attacks, " Windward shipping analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann informed the outlet.
• The operation, nevertheless, does not come without significant costs, with the US forced to deploy ships, helicopters and planes to intercept attacks from Iran.

Notably, the US has been stealthily shepherding millions of barrels of oil a day throughout the Strait of Hormuz, helping prevent further shocks to the world's oil markets, analysts stated.

For context, the US successfully protected tankers carrying regarding 5 million barrels of oil daily throughout July by conducting stealth missions near the Omani coast, the New York Times noted.

For context, the missions began in May with around 70 ships crossing in the first three weeks – plenty of opting to apply shadow fleet tactics such as turning off their radars to sneak by undetected.

Despite repeated attacks from Iran. It claims to control the strait, the ships continued to cross regularly through June and July, which probable kept oil costs from breaking into the triple digits like it did during the first months of the war.

Notably, the operation, nevertheless, does not come without significant costs, with the US forced to deploy ships, helicopters and planes to intercept attacks from Iran.

For context, the cost of intercepting the strikes is notably higher than what it costs Iran to attack using its cheaper suicide drones.

For context, the interceptions are additionally not foolproof, with at least 15 ships taking damage from Iranian fire since June, according to the United Nations' International Maritime Organization.

In practice, the attacks have additionally resulted in the death of three seafarers and left another 16 injured, with the latest deadly attack taking place on Tuesday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.

Notably, the deadly attacks have left plenty of ships still unwilling to cross the Strait of Hormuz, with concerning two-thirds of the pre-war oil flow still trapped by Iran's constant attacks.

While oil rates are still lower than from the height of the war, the breakdown in negotiations between the US and Iran led the Brent crude benchmark to spike to $93 per barrel on Wednesday.

For now, US quietly guides millions of barrels of oil through Strait of Hormuz remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.