US operates secret oil shipping route through Hormuz strait

The United States military has quietly established a covert shipping route through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, facilitating the daily transit of millions of barrels of oil from Gulf producers to international markets despite active hostilities with Iran, according to a report by Axios citing two US officials. President Donald Trump confirmed the operation, telling Axios that "a tremendous amount of oil is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz," while also stating that Washington is not currently engaged in negotiations with Tehran. The operation has been underway for several weeks, enabling 15 to 20 tankers to navigate the strait each night using a southern channel along Oman's coastline.

CENTCOM campaign enables maritime corridor

The clandestine corridor became viable following a two-week US Central Command (CENTCOM) campaign that significantly degraded Iran's radar and maritime surveillance capabilities. US forces are now assisting empty tankers entering the Gulf from the Arabian Sea to load oil from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait before guiding them back through the strait. One US official told Axios that American forces have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months, asserting that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "doesn't control the strait." The operation is coordinated by a task force operating from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division headquarters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Military coordination and ongoing threats

The US military organizes vessels into scheduled inbound and outbound convoys with designated checkpoints for reporting movements, while Air Force fighter jets patrol overhead to detect potential missile and drone attacks. Iranian forces have continued targeting shipping routes, with US forces reportedly shooting down eight Iranian drones and two cruise missiles on Monday night alone. Oil shipments through the strait have recently approached 10 million barrels per day—roughly half the pre-war level—with some nights seeing between 15 million and 20 million barrels transported. The operation underscores the strategic importance of the waterway, which remains a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies.