The U.S. military has established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to keep Gulf energy exports moving despite the war with Iran, allowing millions of barrels of oil to pass through the strategic waterway each day, Axios reported Wednesday, citing two U.S. officials.
"There is a tremendous amount of oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios. He also said Washington is not currently negotiating with Iran.
The operation has been underway for several weeks, the officials reportedly said. It allows 15 to 20 tankers to pass through the strait each night using a southern channel along the coast of Oman, according to Axios.
About 10 million barrels of oil per day are now moving through the strait, roughly half the pre-war level, the officials said.
U.S. forces are also helping empty tankers enter the Gulf from the Arabian Sea, load oil from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, and return through the strait, according to the report.
