Washington, DC – White House advisor Stephen Miller announced on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz is now open to the United States and its allies. He also noted that Iran has been unable to export any oil through its ports since the reimposition of the comprehensive US embargo last month. Miller described President Donald Trump’s actions against Tehran as “the greatest military achievement in the history of modern warfare.” He asserted that Iran’s military infrastructure has suffered significant damage.
Neutralizing Iranian capabilities and securing international navigation
In the same context, the White House confirmed that US forces successfully removed the sea mines planted by Iranian forces in the international shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz. The US administration also revealed that approximately 1,500 ships carrying nearly 750 million barrels of oil transited the strait under the direct protection of US naval vessels. Tehran, however, continues to deny this account, with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard insisting on maintaining “complete control” of the waterway and imposing strict restrictions on navigation. This discrepancy comes amid reports from companies specializing in ship tracking questioning the accuracy of some of the figures and data released by Washington regarding the volume of oil transiting the strait.
Exports decline and China records limited imports
Regarding the repercussions of the embargo, Iranian oil exports have witnessed a sharp and unprecedented decline since the reimposition of sanctions on ships linked to Tehran in mid-July. Preliminary data indicates that China’s imports of Iranian oil stabilized at approximately 534,000 barrels per day during August. This decline in exports reflects the success of the stringent US measures in crippling the Iranian economy. This is particularly evident given the complete halt of direct exports via Iranian ports.
Behind the scenes of mines and planting in the international waterway
Meanwhile, intelligence reports published by Axios revealed new details about the initial hours of the confrontation. Two American and Israeli officials stated that the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, issued a secret order to deploy naval mines within the Strait of Hormuz’s traffic separation system. According to the report, this move aimed to close the vital international shipping lane to oil tankers and threaten global energy security. Subsequently, US forces moved to sweep the strait and remove these threats. Tehran has not issued any official comment on this account.
