🔻U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says in its new statement that “the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz remains open and navigable for all commercial vessels that intend to transit through this international waterway.”

The statement says that, over the past three months, U.S. forces have helped more than 1,000 ships to safely transit the Strait of Hormuz despite what it describes as “unjustified Iranian actions,” and that the operation continues.

The statement is published while, according to observers, the threat to ship traffic in the Persian Gulf has reached its highest level in several months after attacks on several oil tankers in the Red Sea.

Matthew Wright, an analyst at ship-tracking company Clipper, told the BBC: “In terms of threats to crude oil trade, we are now in the worst conditions since this crisis began.”

Based on data from Clipper, on Sunday of this week only 8 ships and on Saturday 11 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz, while before the start of the war, more than 100 ships were crossing the waterway per day.

📸REUTERS