Mines cleared Strait of Hormuz; more oil flowing

(The Center Square) – All mines have been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. continues to enforce a full naval blockade on Iran.

U.S. Central Command Commander Bradley Cooper said the U.S. military has “successfully cleared sea mines” in the Strait of Hormuz, within the international shipping lanes that “were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that in the past 14 days, 130 million barrels of oil have transited through the vital waterway. That's still down from its pre-war levels of approximately 20 million barrels a day, according to the International Energy Agency.

Cooper said in a video message that ships are once again using “long-standing lanes international shipping has historically used to transit the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Over the past several months, U.S. forces have assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels in transiting the strait by providing coordinated protection,” Cooper added. “Those ships were carrying nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil destined for global energy markets.”

The admiral underscored that since the U.S. reinstated a full naval blockade on Iranian ports, zero oil has been exported from Iran.

The Trump administration has estimated the full naval blockade is costing the Iranian economy between $400 million and $500 million a day in economic losses, now coupled with crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has implemented on the Islamic Republic.

“Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” Bessent said Monday. “Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran, will be removed from the U.S. dollar system.”

Bessent added that the new sanctions will be applied to any person or entity that assists the regime in accessing digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, or shipping to help keep Iran’s economy afloat and fund its military operations.

President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that Iran is unable to pay its troops and is suffering major economic losses.

As part of the mission, Cooper said that more than 20 U.S. warships and “hundreds of aircraft” have aided in the clearing of the strait, while enforcing the blockade, turning around 75 vessels “attempting to run the blockade and disabling three vessels that did not comply.”

The Pentagon says it has spent nearly $40 billion on military operations in Iran, though many independent analyses estimate the true amount is at least double.