The Axios website, citing two American officials, reported that the U.S. Army has quietly created a route for the passage of oil tankers in the southern channel of the Strait of Hormuz over the past few weeks, with about 15 to 20 tankers crossing it every night.

According to these officials, nearly 10 million barrels of oil per day—equivalent to about half of the pre-war volume—are leaving the strait and entering the global market. A special unit, in cooperation with regional countries, coordinates the passage of tankers, and U.S. fighter jets also patrol over the area to counter drones and cruise missiles from the Islamic Republic.

One American official said that the United States has controlled the southern route of the strait for about two months and added: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps can cause disruptions, but it doesn’t control the strait. We have control of it.”

Donald Trump also told Axios that “a very large amount of oil” is being taken out of the Strait of Hormuz and that negotiating with the Islamic Republic under the current conditions is “a waste of time.”