US Military Quietly Guided About 70 Commercial Ships Through Strait of Hormuz, Reports Claim

u003cp>An anonymous US official told reporters the military has been secretly coordinating the passage of roughly 70 commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz over the past three weeks, according to reports on May 31. u003c/p>u003cp class=”detailPic”>u003cimg src=”https://x0.ifengimg.com/ucms/2026_23/98C98A0621BDB4D87ED67E858C3B0363ECAFF299_size935_w975_h549.png” alt=”Before the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, over 100 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day.” />u003c/p>u003cp class=”picIntro”>Before the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, over 100 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day. u003c/p>u003cp>The official wouldn’t specify the exact types or routes of the vessels guided in and out of the Strait, but hinted that at least one route didn’t hug the Iranian coastline. Shipping analysts said most of those US-guided routes stayed closer to Omani waters. Since the ships turned off their transponders during these crossings, analysts couldn’t independently verify the actual number of vessels involved. u003c/p>u003cp>Before the US and Israel struck Iran militarily, more than 100 commercial ships sailed through the Strait daily. So an average of three ships per day over the past three weeks is nowhere near a strong recovery for the waterway. u003c/p>u003cp>In early May, the US military launched Operation Freedom to help stranded ships navigate the Strait, but President Trump quickly called it off. Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia was unhappy because the plan wasn’t coordinated with Gulf allies, leading them to deny US forces access to Saudi bases and airspace. Since then, Trump has repeatedly hinted at possibly resuming Operation Freedom. u003c/p>u003cp>On May 30, US Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said in a statement that while the military is no longer escorting ships, it will continue to communicate and coordinate with any commercial vessels seeking “safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” u003c/p>