US military claims Strait of Hormuz remains open amid ongoing blockade

The comments from a US CENTCOM spokesperson come amid heightened tensions over shipping through the vital waterway.

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas [File: Atta Kenare/AFP]

Despite an ongoing blockade on Iranian maritime trade and attacks by Iran’s military on commercial ships, the United States military has said US forces have kept the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping, including the facilitation of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil through the strategic waterway.

On Wednesday, US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said traffic through the strait “continues to flow” while rejecting the suggestion that Iran controls the waterway.

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The US and Iran have continued to make competing claims about who has greater control of the critical Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

“Since early May, we have assisted commercial vessels moving more than 900 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz to the global energy market,” Hawkins told Al Jazeera English’s Tom McRae.

The CENTCOM spokesperson said US forces were carrying out two simultaneous missions: facilitating commercial traffic while enforcing what he described as a highly effective blockade.

“We have redirected more than 100 ships that were trying to violate the blockade,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins added that US forces had completed clearing mines from internationally recognised primary shipping lanes in the strait several weeks ago.

“We remain vigilant. We remain present and watchful to ensure those lanes stay clear,” he said.

“The strait is open. Those lanes are open. And that is why commercial vessels continue to flow through them.”

CENTCOM’s comments come amid continued tensions over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.

Hawkins also defended US military operations in the region after being asked about civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

The city of Kuhestak, located in southern Iran’s Sirik County in Hormozgan province, close to the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of multiple attacks by the US military earlier this month, with local sources and authorities saying a wedding ceremony was struck with several people killed and dozens wounded.

Hawkins said the US military “strictly adheres to the laws of armed conflict” and that its targets had been military sites, including facilities belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“We have never targeted civilians during our operations,” he said.

On damage to US military facilities caused by Iranian attacks, Hawkins said it had not affected the US military’s operational effectiveness, claiming that American forces had significantly degraded Iran’s missile capabilities and “essentially eliminated Iran’s navy”.

美国中央司令部发言人发表上述评论之际，正值这条重要水道的航运局势高度紧张之时。

船只通过伊朗南部港口城市阿巴斯港附近的霍尔木兹海峡。[图片：Atta Kenare/法新社]

尽管美国持续封锁伊朗海上贸易，伊朗军方也袭击商船，但美国军方表示，美军已确保霍尔木兹海峡对商业航运开放，包括通过这条战略水道向数亿桶石油提供便利。

周三，美国中央司令部（CENTCOM）发言人、美国海军上校蒂姆·霍金斯表示，海峡的交通“仍在畅通”，同时驳斥了伊朗控制该水道的说法。

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美国和伊朗一直就谁对波斯湾至关重要的霍尔木兹海峡拥有更大的控制权而相互争执。

“自 5 月初以来，我们已经协助商船通过霍尔木兹海峡向全球能源市场运输了超过 9 亿桶原油，”霍金斯告诉半岛电视台英语频道的汤姆·麦克雷。

美国中央司令部发言人表示，美军正在同时执行两项任务：一是促进商业交通，二是实施他所说的“非常有效的封锁”。

霍金斯说：“我们已经改变了 100 多艘试图违反封锁线的船只的航向。”

霍金斯补充说，美军几周前已经完成了海峡中国际公认的主要航道上的水雷清除工作。

他说：“我们保持警惕，时刻守候，确保这些车道畅通无阻。”

“海峡畅通无阻，航道畅通无阻，所以商船才能继续往来穿梭。”

美国中央司令部发表上述评论之际，正值霍尔木兹海峡航运持续紧张，该海峡是全球能源供应的关键通道。

当被问及平民伤亡和民用基础设施受损情况时，霍金斯也为美国在该地区的军事行动辩护。

位于伊朗南部霍尔木兹甘省锡里克县、靠近霍尔木兹海峡的库赫斯塔克市，在本月初成为美军多次袭击的目标。当地消息人士和当局称，一场婚礼仪式遭到袭击，造成多人死亡，数十人受伤。

霍金斯表示，美军“严格遵守武装冲突法”，其目标是军事设施，包括属于伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队的设施。

他说：“我们在行动中从未以平民为目标。”

霍金斯表示，伊朗袭击对美国军事设施造成的破坏并未影响美军的作战效能，并声称美军已大幅削弱伊朗的导弹能力，“基本上摧毁了伊朗海军”。