CENTCOM: Our Forces Still Control the Strait of Hormuz Alongside Partners, Not Iran

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces and regional partners maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, refuting the recent claim by the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy that U.S. forces had left the strait, hundreds of kilometers away, and asserting that “this claim is false.”

In a statement posted on its official X account, CENTCOM said, “The truth is: U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East remain in place, monitoring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters,” a point underscored by the commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, over the weekend.

U.S. forces and their regional partners control this international waterway, and it is clear that Iran does not. CENTCOM noted that Cooper visited the Strait of Hormuz on the 25th, coinciding with a significant U.S. achievement: assisting Gulf partners in exporting more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil since the summer.

The CENTCOM commander observed the current operational environment while flying in a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter over the international waterway. He stated, “We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Gulf partners and the maritime shipping sector. This visit reaffirms our steadfast commitment to ensuring the continued freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”