The US carried out a massive operation amid the fresh wave of strikes as its military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying around 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, marking a wartime high as Tehran and Washington continue to exchange fresh waves of strikes, according to US officials.
Before the war began more than six months ago, roughly 20 million barrels of oil were passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz every day.
During the operation carried out on Tuesday, the US deployed a combination of air, sea and space-based assets, continuing strikes aimed at degrading Iranโs ability to target commercial vessels while simultaneously protecting the ships from waves of drone attacks, CNN reported, citing US officials.
US forces also neutralised anti-ship cruise missiles during the escort operation, one official said.
The operation comes as the Trump administration has increasingly focused its war strategy on the Strait of Hormuz. The approach involves striking Iranian military targets around the key waterway, escorting commercial vessels through the strait and maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian ports as part of what officials described as a โfull court pressโ to increase economic pressure on Iranโs leadership.
Despite the successful operation, US officials believe a quick resolution to the conflict remains unlikely. Energy companies also continue to view passage through the Strait of Hormuz as highly risky, even with military escorts, the report said.
Concerns over the security of shipping through the waterway have also continued to affect global energy markets. Energy prices remain elevated, contributing to volatility in the global bond market.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has recently suggested that he is willing to leave Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium buried and monitor it through satellite imagery. The material was not completely destroyed during US strikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities last year.
Trumpโs remarks appeared to mark a shift from his earlier position, when he had described securing the highly enriched uranium as one of the key priorities of the conflict.
US forces strike 60 targets around Hormuz
On Tuesday, the United States carried out a multi-pronged military operation in line with its current strategy, striking nearly 60 military targets around the Strait of Hormuz while simultaneously escorting the commercial vessels through the waterway, according to the CNN report.
The targets included air defence installations, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites.
US officials said the military expects to continue offensive operations near the strait, partly because Iran has demonstrated an ability to rebuild and restore its military capabilities.
One official compared the continuing campaign to โmowing the grassโ or a game of โwhack-a-moleโ, describing the need for repeated strikes to prevent Iran from rebuilding its capacity to threaten commercial shipping.
Trump on fresh Iran strikes
Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the latest round of US strikes went beyond targeting Iranian radar systems and was aimed at further reducing Tehranโs ability to track vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
โThey were trying to see the ships,โ Trump said. โThey canโt see it because they have no radar, because we blew it up, and we blew up much more than their radar last night.โ
Trump did not provide further details about the additional targets struck during the operation.
However, he again insisted that the United States maintains control over the strategically important waterway and has demonstrated its ability to strike Iranian military assets along the coastline while simultaneously defending commercial ships against incoming attacks.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the worldโs most strategically important shipping routes, and the continued military confrontation around the waterway has raised concerns over global oil supplies, energy prices and the broader impact of the conflict on international markets.
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