U.S. forces have quietly coordinated the passage of around 70 commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz over the past three weeks, according to U.S. officials cited by The New York Times, as Washington seeks to maintain limited maritime traffic through one of the world's most important energy corridors while negotiations with Iran remain stalled.
The officials said most of the vessels traveled with their transponders turned off during the crossings, making the operations difficult to independently verify. The routes reportedly avoided sailing close to the Iranian coastline, where ships risk attack from Iranian drones or missiles if they transit without Tehran's approval.
