CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper provided an update on the Strait of Hormuz as President Donald Trump weighed his next move regarding Iran.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday, September 19, that more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil had moved through the Strait of Hormuz as Trump considered further action against Iran.
CENTCOM said its blockade had reduced Iranian crude exports to zero while commercial traffic through the strategic waterway continued.
The update came as Trump told Axios that he was facing a “big decision” over whether to take further action against the Iranian regime.
CENTCOM Says Iran Exported Zero Barrels
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said Iran had exported “zero barrels” of crude oil, attributing the halt to what he called an “ironclad blockade.”
Cooper described the movement of crude through the Strait of Hormuz as a major milestone. He said U.S. forces had assisted more than 2,000 commercial vessel transits through the strategic waterway by providing coordinated protection, while the primary transit lanes remained clear of mines.
“Thousands of ships have passed through the Strait,” Cooper said in a video posted by CENTCOM on X on Saturday.
He said the volume of crude oil, cargo, and liquefied natural gas moving through the waterway over the past two weeks was higher than at any point during the previous six months.
CENTCOM said it was working with U.S. government agencies, all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners, insurance companies, and shipping firms to increase commercial traffic through the Strait.
Trump Weighs Whether to Escalate Against Iran
President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he was facing a “big decision” over whether to take further military action against Iran.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not?” Trump said.
Trump said his decision would depend partly on what leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman tell him during a planned meeting in New York.
Trump also told NewsNation that Iran wants an agreement because, in his view, Tehran is “losing in every way” financially and militarily.
“If the deal’s not a correct deal, then I wouldn’t even think about it,” Trump said.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has said Trump plans to use his upcoming General Assembly address to argue that Iran must be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Shipping Remains Sharply Reduced
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained significantly below pre-conflict levels.
CENTCOM separately said that 105 commercial ships had been directed by U.S. forces during the blockade involving Iranian ports.
Trump said Friday that he expected the war to end soon and that gas prices would fall after the conflict concludes, while maintaining that military action was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, Iranian nuclear official Behrouz Kamalvandi said Iran had “sufficient cards and options” and the resolve to defend itself despite U.S. pressure, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.