CENTCOM Commander Claims More Than One Billion Barrels Passed Through Strait of Hormuz
Brad Cooper says U.S. forces supported the passage of more than 2,000 commercial vessels, while also claiming Iran exported no oil during the period
The CENTCOM commander, Brad Cooper, claimed that more than one billion barrels of crude oil and over 2,000 commercial vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months with U.S. support. He also claimed that Iran had exported no oil during the period. The supplied evidence does not independently verify these figures or assertions.
TEHRAN — The commander of U.S. Central Command has claimed that more than one billion barrels of crude oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months under what he described as a U.S. military blockade, while American forces supported the movement of more than 2,000 commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.
Brad Cooper made the claims in remarks published by CENTCOM on the social-media platform X. According to the statement, U.S. forces supported the removal or shipment of more than one billion barrels of crude oil from the Persian Gulf and provided coordinated protection for commercial shipping in the strait.
“CENTCOM forces supported the departure of more than one billion barrels of crude oil from the Persian Gulf,” Cooper said, according to the statement.
The commander also said that major shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz had been cleared of mines and that thousands of vessels had used the waterway. He described the U.S. effort as an “iron blockade” and claimed that Iran had exported no oil during the same period.
The claims were presented as part of continuing U.S. statements about shipping and energy flows in the region. The account said the volume of crude oil, goods and liquefied natural gas transported through the strait during the previous two weeks was higher than at any other point in the preceding six months.
Cooper further said the United States was working with Gulf Cooperation Council members, insurers and shipping companies to increase traffic through the waterway. The statement did not provide additional details in the supplied material about the identity of the vessels, the specific dates covered by the figures, the methods used to calculate the oil volume or the evidence supporting the claim that Iran had halted all oil exports.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy transit routes. A significant share of the region’s oil and gas trade passes through the narrow waterway, making statements about shipping activity there highly consequential for energy markets and international attention.
The report carrying the claims described the figures as unsubstantiated and said oil markets had continued their upward trend despite the statements. The supplied evidence, however, does not include independent confirmation of either the reported transit volume or the alleged suspension of Iranian oil exports.
As a result, the figures and assertions should be understood as claims attributed to the CENTCOM commander rather than independently verified facts. The statement does indicate that U.S. authorities are seeking to portray shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as active and increasingly protected, while linking those operations to wider efforts involving regional governments, insurers and commercial shipping companies.