US military claims Strait of Hormuz remains open amid ongoing blockade

Despite an ongoing blockade on Iranian maritime trade and attacks by Iran's military on commercial ships, the United States military has remarked US forces have kept the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping, including the facilitation of hundreds of millions of.

Key points

• The US and Iran have continued to create competing claims concerning who has greater control of the critical Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.
• "We have redirected more than 100 ships that were trying to violate the blockade, " Hawkins remarked.
• CENTCOM's comments come against the backdrop of continued tensions over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.
• The CENTCOM spokesperson remarked US forces were carrying out two simultaneous missions: facilitating commercial traffic while enforcing what he described as a highly effective blockade.
• Hawkins continued that US forces had completed clearing mines from internationally recognised primary shipping lanes in the strait a number of weeks ago.

On Wednesday, US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), remarked traffic through the strait "continues to flow" while rejecting the suggestion that Iran controls the waterway.

For context, the US and Iran have continued to create competing claims concerning who has greater control of the critical Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

"Since early May, we have assisted commercial vessels moving more than 900 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz to the global energy market, " Hawkins informed Al Jazeera English's Tom McRae.

For context, the CENTCOM spokesperson remarked US forces were carrying out two simultaneous missions: facilitating commercial traffic while enforcing what he described as a highly effective blockade.

"We remain vigilant. We remain present and watchful to ensure those lanes stay clear, " he remarked.

"The strait is open. Those lanes are open. And that is why commercial vessels continue to flow through them."

Hawkins additionally defended US military operations in the region after being asked concerning civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the city of Kuhestak, located in southern Iran's Sirik County in Hormozgan province, close to the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of multiple attacks by the US military earlier this month, with local sources and authorities saying a wedding ceremony was struck with a number of residents killed and dozens wounded.

Hawkins remarked the US military "strictly adheres to the laws of armed conflict" and that its targets had been military sites, including facilities belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "We have never targeted civilians during our operations, " he remarked.

On damage to US military facilities caused by Iranian attacks, Hawkins remarked it had not affected the US military's operational effectiveness, claiming that American forces had significantly degraded Iran's missile capabilities and "essentially eliminated Iran's navy".

Taken together, the developments around US military claims Strait of Hormuz remains open amid ongoing blockade point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.