The U.S. military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying about 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, marking a wartime high as Washington and Tehran exchanged a new round of attacks, two U.S. officials familiar with the operation told CNN.
The operation involved U.S. air, sea and space assets and included efforts to counter waves of Iranian drone attacks and neutralize anti-ship cruise missiles, according to the officials. U.S. forces were also targeting Iranian military capabilities around the strategically important waterway during the escort operation.
Before the war began more than six months ago, roughly 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day. CNN reported that the 18 million barrels escorted on Tuesday represented the highest volume moved under U.S. military protection since the conflict began.
The operation comes as shipping through the strait has fallen sharply amid the escalating conflict. Preliminary data from shipping tracker Kpler showed that only four commodity vessels transited the waterway on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of about 13 vessels.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints, with around one-fifth of global oil supplies passing through it before the conflict. The recent fighting and threats against commercial shipping have raised concerns over energy supplies and global oil prices.
The U.S. military’s escort operation followed a new round of American strikes on Iranian military targets around the strait. Iran subsequently launched missile and drone attacks against U.S. forces and regional allies, further intensifying tensions across the Gulf.
CNN reported that most, if not all, of the 40 commercial vessels that crossed the strait during Tuesday’s operation had turned off their tracking systems to avoid revealing their positions.
