Foreign Relations

U.S. Officials Confirm Navy Cleared Hormuz Median Shipping Lane

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of several cargo, tanker, and working vessels spread across calm hazy waters, with a large dark-blue working vessel prominent in the foreground, drawn in warm ochre and slate-blue pastel with cross-hatching on sepia newsprint.

Two U.S. officials confirmed the Navy cleared the Traffic Separation Scheme, the median shipping lane between Oman and Iran, after Trump announced all mines had been removed or detonated from international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. underwater drones spent several months scanning the route and identified more than 100 suspected mine objects, which private contractors removed or destroyed. Officials said the cleared median lane can carry traffic in both directions under U.S. Air Force protection, increasing capacity for oil exports. More than 500 ships used the southern channel in the past 30 days, and officials said about 2% were hit by Iranian drones or missiles.

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