U.S. Has Quietly Coordinated Passage of Around 70 Commercial Ships Through Strait of Hormuz Over Three Weeks: Report

U.S. forces have quietly coordinated the passage of around 70 commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz over the past three weeks, according to U.S. officials cited by The New York Times, as Washington seeks to maintain limited maritime traffic through one of the world's most important energy corridors while negotiations with Iran remain stalled.

The officials said most of the vessels traveled with their transponders turned off during the crossings, making the operations difficult to independently verify. The routes reportedly avoided sailing close to the Iranian coastline, where ships risk attack from Iranian drones or missiles if they transit without Tehran's approval.

Before the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, more than 100 commercial ships passed through the strait daily. The current U.S.-coordinated crossings amount to roughly three ships a day, reflecting the continued instability surrounding the waterway, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil and natural gas shipments.

According to The New York Times, U.S. Central Command has encouraged vessels to transit the strait but has stopped short of providing formal naval escorts after an earlier operation known as "Project Freedom" was scaled back amid objections from Saudi Arabia.

"Though U.S. forces are not escorting, we continue to communicate and coordinate with commercial ships seeking to freely and safely transit the Strait of Hormuz," Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told the outlet.

The shipping efforts come as ceasefire negotiations between Washington and Tehran face renewed uncertainty. Over the weekend, U.S. forces carried out what Central Command described as "self-defense strikes" against Iranian radar, drone, and command sites near the Strait of Hormuz after accusing Iran of aggressive actions, including shooting down a U.S. drone over international waters, as BBC reports.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it responded by targeting a U.S. military base used in earlier strikes on southern Iran. Kuwait later reported intercepting what it called "hostile" missiles and drones and condemned "repeated Iranian attacks."

At the same time, Iran has reportedly continued to assert authority over maritime traffic in the strait. The IRGC Navy said Sunday that 28 vessels, including oil tankers and container ships, crossed the waterway in the previous 24 hours after coordinating with Tehran and obtaining permits under Iran's new security framework for the passage.