US CENTCOM chief flies over Strait of Hormuz, says it’s free of mines

Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads US Central Command, flew over the Strait of Hormuz today, while declaring that the waterway remains “free and clear of Iranian sea mines.”

Cooper observed CENTCOM’s deployment in the strait from a US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter, according to a statement from the American military.

CENTCOM says that over 3,000 commercial vessels have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz with its support over the last six months, exporting more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil, amid an ongoing US blockade against Iran. Iran has attempted to obstruct the strait since the beginning of the war nearly eight months ago.

Since clearing the strait’s international shipping lanes of sea mines laid by Iran, “momentum has continued to build,” the American military says.

According to CENTCOM, over 95 percent of ships navigating the strait “have sailed through safely despite the IRGC’s unwarranted aggression, clearly demonstrating that the United States and regional partners control the international waterway.”

“Today, primary transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz remain free and clear of Iranian sea mines thanks to incredible efforts by our people,” Cooper says in remarks published by CENTCOM, adding that his forces “remain intensely focused on keeping commercial traffic flowing as we work with our teammates in the US interagency, Gulf Cooperation Council, and shipping industry.”

Cooper also met with American soldiers who took part in the mine-clearing operations, according to CENTCOM.