US establishes corridor in Strait of Hormuz for covertly transporting oil - report

The U.S. army has organized the covert transport of millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz without coordination with the Iranian authorities, Axios reported, citing sources.

According to the news outlet, between 15 and 20 tankers pass through the strait’s southern channel along the coast of Oman every day, successfully exporting about 10 million barrels of oil from the Middle East, roughly half of the pre-war level.

"We have been controlling the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz for two months now. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps can be a nuisance, but they don't control the strait. We do," a source said.

A team of U.S. military officials is coordinating the operation with Washington’s Middle Eastern partners and compiling a daily list of ships planning to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Every night, these ships are escorted by US Air Force fighter jets as they load and unload oil and periodically check in at checkpoints.