The U.S. military says it has cleared Iranian sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz’s international shipping lanes, delivering a major breakthrough in one of the world’s most important waterways.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, announced the milestone in a video posted Thursday evening.

His message was straightforward: American forces went into dangerous conditions and finished the work.

“The circumstances were challenging and dangerous to say the least, but we got the job done,” Cooper said.

Watch Cooper explain what American forces accomplished:

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The mines had been planted months earlier by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Cooper credited Navy divers, Navy SEALs and airpower from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps with clearing the established transit routes.

That is dangerous, painstaking work. The Americans carrying it out deserve the credit.

Stars and Stripes reported that Cooper described an American force of 50,000 service members and more than 20 Navy ships operating across the region.

According to Cooper, U.S. protection has helped nearly 1,500 commercial vessels move through the strait. Those ships carried nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil headed for global markets.

The waterway normally handles about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, making its security a concern far beyond the Persian Gulf. Mines have been one of the threats keeping commercial traffic sharply below normal.

Clearing those lanes removes a major physical danger, although the announcement does not mean every shipping threat has disappeared. Missiles and drones have also been used against commercial vessels.

Cooper did not give a total for the mines removed or identify the precise starting date of the clearance work. The achievement he announced covers the internationally recognized shipping routes through the strait.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared Cooper’s announcement and praised the command:

The military is also keeping pressure on Iran’s own shipping.

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In the same update, Cooper said U.S. forces had turned back 75 vessels and disabled three that did not comply with the blockade. He said no Iranian oil had left the country’s shores since the blockade resumed in mid-July.

He also said passage into or out of Iranian ports required U.S. permission, with exceptions granted on humanitarian grounds.

President Trump is pairing that naval pressure with a new push against the regime’s financial networks.

The Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast on August 24, describing an effort to cut off the revenue and financial connections sustaining Iran’s government and the Revolutionary Guard.

The opening actions targeted nearly 60 individuals, entities and vessels tied to nuclear and missile procurement, cyber operations and oil-revenue networks. Treasury also expanded its ability to impose sanctions involving Iran’s digital-assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors.

U.S. officials are pressing foreign governments to shut down identified Iran-related activity within specified timelines. Businesses helping Iran launder money or evade sanctions risk losing access to the American financial system.

The campaign also included new guidance warning shipping operators about sanctions risks tied to complying with Iranian demands in the Strait of Hormuz. Together, the measures aim to squeeze the regime’s income while American forces work to keep commercial traffic moving.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tied the two efforts together in his own update, saying the United States had helped move 130 million barrels out over the preceding 14 days while Iran’s total was zero:

The immediate achievement belongs to the service members who cleared those lanes under dangerous conditions.

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For commercial crews trying to get through Hormuz, that work has very real consequences.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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