American forces in recent weeks have helped coordinate the passage of dozens of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials, even as travel through the waterway remains risky amid stalled negotiations to end the war with Iran.
U.S. Central Command has guided around 70 commercial ships through the strait, traveling into and out of the Persian Gulf, in the last three weeks, one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. The U.S. officials added that most of the vessels had turned off their transponders to avoid detection when going through the narrow waterway.
The officials declined to say what type of vessels were going through and what route they took, but one official indicated that at least one route was not close to the Iranian coastline. Ships passing near Iran without obtaining Iranian approval face the threat of an almost-certain attack by Iranian drones or missiles, U.S. officials said. Shipping analysts say the U.S.-guided crossings appear to follow routes that are closer to Oman.
Before the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, well over 100 commercial ships a day passed through the strait. So the U.S.-coordinated passages — an average of three a day over the three-week period — do not represent a big comeback for shipping. And because U.S.-guided crossings take place with transponders turned off, known as “dark” passages, shipping analysts say they cannot independently verify how many may have taken place.
Still, a steady passage of ships under U.S. guidance would suggest that some shipowners are willing to take the risk to get in and out of the Persian Gulf, where many vessels have been stranded for weeks, losing money and leaving their crews in trying conditions.
The U.S.-coordinated route is also an alternative for shipowners who don’t want to have to get permission from Iran or pay a toll to make the crossing. The conflict with Iran has led to a sharp reduction in energy supplies to world markets.
Last week, U.S. officials said Iran and the United States were close to reaching an agreement that would reopen the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and a significant proportion of its natural gas traveled before the war. But on Sunday, U.S. officials said President Trump had toughened the terms of a framework for a deal.
In early May, Mr. Trump announced a major military operation, Project Freedom, to help get ships through the strait, but then quickly ended it, partly because of objections from Saudi Arabia. Since then, Central Command has encouraged ships to make the passage but has stopped short of providing a naval escort.
“Though U.S. forces are not escorting, we continue to communicate and coordinate with commercial ships seeking to freely and safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international corridor for regional and global economies,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement on Saturday.
Vessels taking the U.S. route still risk being attacked by Iran, which has claimed that it controls the waterway. American officials say that the Iranian risk is exaggerated and have sought to talk willing vessels through a safe passage to the other side of the strait. While the assistance is known within shipping circles, U.S. officials acknowledge that they have not widely publicized it to avoid Iran targeting vessels venturing through under American guidance.
A container ship was attacked in early May even though it was making the passage during Project Freedom. The ship’s owner, France’s CMA CGM, said it was coordinating with the U.S. military but Central Command said the French ship had not followed certain guidelines.
Noam Raydan, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Central Command’s total of 70 U.S.-coordinated crossings was higher than she had expected. Because the crossings were done with transponders turned off, Ms. Raydan said it would take time to confirm how many vessels had coordinated with the United States.
“And I doubt names will be revealed, especially if some companies worry about a response from Iran in the future for coordinating with the U.S.,” she said in an email.
During Project Freedom, two ships flying the American maritime flag went through the strait.
In mid-April, the United States started a blockade against ships that had visited Iranian ports. So far, that blockade, operating in the Gulf of Oman, has redirected 116 ships, according to Central Command. The effort has largely cut off Iran’s oil exports.
But Iran still has significant sway over the strait. Many ships continue to use the route that sails close to Iran’s coast, an indication that shipowners and governments are coordinating their passages with Tehran.
Of the 895 crossings of the strait from March 1 to May 19, just over half were done on the Iran route, according to Kpler, a maritime data company. Around 40 percent took an unknown or dark route.
