On September 19, US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters that oil and LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz over the past two weeks reached their highest level in six months. He pointed to successful mine clearance operations as the reason, noting that the strait's primary transit lanes are now clear of mines. Persian Gulf allies have already moved more than one billion barrels of crude through the waterway in the last couple of months.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to maintain that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, and regional negotiations on agreed shipping routes have faltered. Drone attacks linked to the Iran war previously halted a Saudi Arabian pipeline designed to bypass the strait, adding to an oil and product squeeze that has persisted since the summer. Riyadh experienced two early-morning air raid alerts on September 19—the first since the March and April peak of the US-Iran conflict—and a reported air strike hit jet fuel facilities at King Khalid International Airport.
ALSO READ | Jersey City Council to Hear Controversial Canal Crossing Tax Abatements and Garden Land Vote Wednesday
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned on September 13 that global markets depend on approximately 10 million barrels per day flowing through the strait, though he acknowledged current conditions are tighter than ideal but not excessively so. Traders are expected to monitor whether the improved shipping volumes hold steady, whether additional attacks target Saudi energy infrastructure, and if discussions regarding shared shipping routes resume.
