CNN report US military escorts 40 tankers with 18 million barrels through Hormuz
This reinforces the theme already running through Wednesday's oil price action, that the market has increasingly absorbed the idea that workaround supply routes can keep crude flowing despite the conflict. Eighteen million barrels escorted in a single day compares to a pre-war flow of around 20 million barrels daily through the strait, suggesting US military operations are helping restore something close to normal throughput even as Iran continues to contest the waterway. That is a bearish input for the geopolitical risk premium currently embedded in Brent and WTI, since it undercuts the disruption narrative that has been a key driver of this week's price gains. However, the caveat matters just as much as the headline figure: shippers remain broadly skeptical the US can sustain this escort system, and energy firms are still hesitant to route tankers through the strait even with military protection in place. That gap between official flow data and private sector risk appetite is likely to keep a geopolitical premium in the price for now, even if the physical barrels are getting through.
--- The US is now escorting oil flows through Hormuz at levels approaching what passed through before the war began, even as shippers stay wary and Iran keeps attacking.
Summary:
- The US military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying around 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, described by officials as a wartime high, according to CNN citing two US officials.
- Prior to the war beginning roughly six months ago, around 20 million barrels a day were passing through the strait, meaning Tuesday's escorted volume approaches pre-war throughput.
- US forces used air, sea and space assets during the operation, intercepting and destroying an anti-ship cruise missile and repelling multiple waves of Iranian drone attacks.
- The operation aligns with the Trump administration's strategy of striking targets near the strait, escorting commercial traffic and maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports as part of a broader maximum pressure campaign.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had already flagged the trend earlier in the week, saying Monday's flow through the strait hit a wartime record above 17 million barrels per day.
- US officials described the strait as a depreciating asset for Iran, arguing that sustained flow through the waterway shows Iran's control over the chokepoint is diminishing.
- Despite the escort success, shippers remain broadly skeptical that the US can sustain this system, and energy firms are still wary of routing tankers through the strait even with military protection.
- Officials do not expect a rapid resolution to the broader conflict.
The US military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying approximately 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, a wartime high, as Iran and the United States exchanged a fresh round of strikes, CNN reported, citing two US officials familiar with the operation.
The scale of the escorted volume is significant in context. Prior to the war's outbreak roughly six months ago, around 20 million barrels a day were passing through the strait under normal conditions. Tuesday's figure, achieved under active military escort and amid ongoing hostilities, therefore represents a flow approaching pre-war levels, a notable recovery given that maritime traffic through the strait had reportedly dropped by as much as 70% in the early stages of the conflict.
US forces used a combination of air, sea and space based assets during the operation, both continuing to target Iran's capability to strike commercial vessels in the strait and simultaneously defending the convoy itself. Officials said forces intercepted and destroyed an anti-ship cruise missile and repelled multiple waves of Iranian drone attacks during the escort. The operation reflects a broader shift in US strategy in the conflict, which has increasingly prioritised striking targets around the strait, running escort operations for commercial shipping through the waterway, and maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports as part of what the Trump administration has termed a maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.
The figures follow comments earlier in the week from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told CNBC that oil flows through the strait hit a wartime record above 17 million barrels per day on Monday. Bessent explicitly rejected the idea that continued Iranian attacks amounted to control of the waterway, and US officials have since characterised the strait as a depreciating asset for Tehran, arguing that the sustained recovery in flow undermines Iran's ability to meaningfully choke off the route despite ongoing attacks.
Even so, the operation underscores how contested the waterway remains. Iran is widely seen as retaining leverage through the credible threat of further strikes on commercial shipping, even where it lacks the capacity to fully close the strait. Shippers and energy firms have responded accordingly, with reporting indicating that many remain broadly skeptical the US can sustain a reliable escort system over time, and continue to show reluctance to route tankers through the strait even with military protection available. US officials, for their part, do not expect the underlying conflict to reach a rapid resolution, suggesting that this pattern of contested but partially restored flow, propped up by direct military escort, is likely to persist as the near term operating environment for Gulf shipping.
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.提供 MainLink：Investinglive RSS Breaking News Feed
FX初心者には必須 無料のうちにGET！
