The United States has secretly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, escorting oil tankers past Iranian threats after commercial traffic collapsed last week.
The southern route, running along the Omani coast, has been operational for roughly two months but was disclosed only now by anonymous US officials. American destroyers escort tankers to defend against Iranian missiles and drones, with 15 to 20 vessels transiting nightly. The channel moves roughly 10 million barrels daily — about half the pre-war volume that passed through the strait before the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered the conflict.
One US official said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "can be a nuisance but they do not control the strait — we do."