U.S. military says “traffic continues to flow” through Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. military’s Central Command said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz remained open, despite any Iranian claims otherwise.

“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM spokesman Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said. “Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”

Hawkins said there had been no significant reduction or repositioning of U.S. military assets in the region, but he added that commanders are constantly assessing the situation.

Iran has said all commercial vessels must coordinate with its authorities to transit the strait, but that it is not charging shippers fees during the 60-day negotiation period laid out in the memorandum of understanding signed by both countries last week.

Traffic through the vital waterway has increased over the last week, but it remains a far cry from the average of around 135 ships per day seen before the U.S. and Israel jointly launched their war with Iran on Feb. 28.

The MarineTraffic monitoring group said Monday that vessel activity through the strait had increased sharply between June 19 and 21, with 71 confirmed transits recorded, including a peak of 35 crossings on 20 June.