CENTCOM: Hormuz Is Under US And Partner Control, Not Iran's

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper declared on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is under the full supervision and control of American forces and regional partners, not Tehran, confirming that 400 commercial ships transited the waterway safely in the past week alone and that CENTCOM has facilitated the movement of more than 1.3 billion barrels of oil through the strait since the conflict began.

"The Strait of Hormuz is under the full supervision and control of American forces and regional partners, not Tehran," Cooper said, in a direct rejection of Iran's repeated claims of controlling the waterway. He confirmed that in the past week alone, more than 400 commercial ships transited the strait safely.

Operation Epic Fury and Iran's Military Degradation

Cooper provided the most detailed American accounting yet of what the 38-day Operation Epic Fury achieved militarily. "In that wide-scale military operation, we struck a great blow at Iran's ability to impose its hegemony beyond its own borders. We sank Iran's navy, destroyed its weapons factories, and severely degraded the IRGC's capability to launch ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles," he said.

Economic Strangulation

CENTCOM's measures have imposed a heavy financial toll on the Iranian regime and specifically the IRGC, cutting them off from crude oil exports worth at least $25 billion. Over 50,000 American troops are currently deployed across the Middle East, and since the conclusion of the 38-day military operation they have been continuously engaged in clearing Iranian naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz, protecting commercial vessels, and enforcing a severe naval blockade that has left Iran with no maritime imports or exports other than humanitarian aid.

CENTCOM has also supported American agencies in blocking approximately $350 million in digital currencies that Tehran was using to finance weapons procurement and rebuild its destroyed facilities.

Domestic Economic Collapse

On the economic consequences inside Iran, Cooper confirmed that the pressure has reached every sector, with Tehran cutting salaries to employees in the oil, energy, industrial, and security sectors and even to IRGC members themselves. According to reports, Iran-aligned armed groups operating in the region have stopped paying their fighters in order to redirect the money to the IRGC, which Cooper described as a sign of desperation and Tehran's deep financial crisis.

Attacks on Commercial Shipping

On threats to commercial navigation, Cooper noted that in recent months the IRGC had attacked several commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including Russian ships, on multiple occasions. According to International Maritime Organization data, more than 20 civilian seafarers have lost their lives as a result of Iranian attacks since February 2026.

Cooper's comprehensive Friday briefing represents the most detailed single American military and economic assessment of the conflict's impact since it began, delivered on the same day that Iran's Foreign Ministry offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and that an Iraqi militia leader described the US withdrawal as a military defeat and warned his faction would fight alongside Iran if Tehran faced an existential threat.