CENTCOM: Over 900 Million Barrels of Oil Have Crossed Hormuz Since May Despite Blockade

According to Al Jazeera, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said on Wednesday, September 17, 2026 (26 Shahrivar 1405), that US forces have helped move more than 900 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz to global energy markets since early May, and that commercial shipping traffic through the strait "continues to flow."

Hawkins said US forces are pursuing two simultaneous missions: facilitating commercial traffic and enforcing what he called a "highly effective" blockade, under which more than 100 ships attempting to violate it have been redirected. He added that clearing mines from the strait's main shipping lanes was completed several weeks ago and that US forces remain watchful to keep them clear.

Asked about recent US military strikes on the city of Kuhestak in Hormozgan province's Sirik county, where local sources say a wedding ceremony was hit, killing and wounding several people, the CENTCOM spokesperson said the operation's targets were strictly military sites, including facilities linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that no civilians were targeted.