October 17, 2026
The US military confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping despite the naval blockade imposed on Iran, noting that about 400 commercial ships crossed within one week, coinciding with Tehran incurring financial losses amounting to billions of dollars as a result of US measures.
The Commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), Brad Cooper, said on Friday that the United States and its regional partners are maintaining control over the Strait despite the Iranian attacks, explaining that the American forces helped the partners ship more than 100 million barrels of crude oil during the past seven days, in addition to working to protect commercial ships, remove sea mines, and confront attacks.
Cooper accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard of continuing to target commercial ships, noting, based on data from the International Maritime Organization, that more than 20 civilian sailors had been killed as a result of Iranian attacks on shipping since last February.
The military official confirmed that the naval blockade on Iran is still in effect, and that its maritime exports and imports have been completely halted, with the exception of authorized humanitarian aid shipments. He revealed that the American measures prevented Tehran from exporting crude oil worth at least $25 billion, in addition to contributing to the freezing of crypto-currency assets estimated at about $350 million.
Cooper stated that these pressures caused severe damage to the security services and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and reduced Tehran’s ability to finance groups loyal to it and compensate for losses in weapons and facilities. He pointed out that the financial pressures extended to affect the disbursement of salaries and pensions in vital sectors such as healthcare, energy, manufacturing, construction, and security.
In the same context, he pointed to reports that armed groups loyal to Tehran have stopped payments to their members to transfer money to the Revolutionary Guard, which in turn is experiencing difficulties in paying the dues of its forces.
Cooper reviewed the outcome of the military operations, explaining that the American campaign, which lasted 38 days over the past months, succeeded in reducing Iran’s ability to carry out operations outside its borders, and targeted its naval forces, weapons factories, and the capabilities of launching ballistic missiles and drones.
Cooper concluded by emphasizing that more than 50,000 American military personnel deployed in the Middle East continue to cooperate with regional partners to secure shipping lines and confront Iranian threats and attacks.
