“We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now,” one source told the outlet.
The corridor reportedly allows about 10 million barrels of oil per day to be exported from the Persian Gulf — roughly half of pre-war volumes. On some nights, the report says, volumes reportedly reached 15 million to 20 million barrels.
It had previously been known that Gulf countries were covertly transporting oil through the Strait of Hormuz, though smaller volumes — between 5 million and 9 million barrels — had been cited. Such shadow shipments have a noticeable effect on the global market and have helped keep prices in the $80-$90-per-barrel range, since some market participants had been bracing for oil at $150 a barrel.
Axios reported that the Hormuz operation is run by a task force based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Each day, the task force compiles lists of vessels leaving the Gulf through the strait into the Arabian Sea, as well as empty tankers heading in the opposite direction — from the Arabian Sea through the strait to Gulf ports for another load of oil.
Traffic is organized on a strict schedule: each night, ships pass in two large convoys — one exiting the strait, the other entering it — each within its own designated time window. The route runs along the southern channel near Oman’s coast, with vessel movement overseen by the U.S. military. Air cover is provided by U.S. Air Force fighter jets protecting the convoys from Iranian cruise missiles and drones.
According to officials, the operation itself was made possible by a two-week military campaign by U.S. Central Command that significantly damaged Iran’s radar and maritime surveillance systems.
As a result, Iran has effectively lost the ability to fully track vessel movement through the southern channel. It continues to launch drones and missiles somewhat blindly, targeting the approximate area where vessels might be, and some ships have been damaged in these strikes, though U.S. forces have repelled most of the attacks. Earlier this week, according to one official, eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles were shot down.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil-shipping routes, was blocked after the U.S.-Iran war began in late February, driving a sharp rise in global oil prices.
On June 18, traffic through the strait resumed after Washington and Tehran agreed to a 60-day cease-fire. The United States lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports at the time, and the first tankers were able to pass through the strategic route.
However, fighting resumed in early July, and Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again. The two sides then began striking each other once more.
On Aug. 13, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military has enough resources to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, and that ships can rotate in and out of the region as needed.
The following day, Aug. 14, Trump said that once the war with Iran ends, he intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory, adding that the United States has already established a blockade of the strait and would not allow vessels to pass through without American authorization.
Iran regularly attacks ships attempting to pass through the strait without its permission. In response, the United States has struck Iranian military infrastructure targets.
In early August, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran is prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz only after a series of demands are met — including the withdrawal of U.S. forces, an end to hostilities, the lifting of the naval blockade, compensation for war damages, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad.
On Aug. 18, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is “new U.S. Territory.”