CENTCOM calls reported Strait of Hormuz blockade ‘highly effective’
The US military has not provided evidence defining the assessment, while earlier statements said commercial shipping continued through the strategic waterway.
A US Central Command spokesman has described the reported US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as “highly effective” in comments to Al Jazeera.
CENTCOM has not publicly defined what the assessment means or provided evidence supporting it in the supplied material. Shipping volumes and the operational extent of the reported blockade have not been independently verified.
Earlier US military statements said commercial traffic continued through the strait while US forces enforced a blockade on Iranian maritime trade. The material therefore does not establish that the waterway has been fully closed.
CENTCOM has also said mine-clearing operations in internationally recognised primary shipping lanes were completed several weeks earlier, with US forces remaining present to keep the lanes clear.
The latest assessment comes as the US and Iran make competing claims about control of the strategic waterway. It is unclear whether the spokesman’s comment signals a new development or reiterates an existing US position.
