CENTCOM claims the main routes of Hormuz have been cleared of mines, ships pass freely
Brett Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, claimed in a video that the main international shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of Iranian sea mines and commercial ships are passing freely. He said that earlier in the week, while flying over the strait, he saw dozens of commercial ships passing but no sign of the IRGC’s presence. Cooper also claimed that the Iranian navy is completely at the bottom of the sea. These statements contradict Iran’s stance on maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC had previously announced that it stopped two oil tankers while they were passing through routes it described as unauthorized.