The United States Central Command shared a rare video message on Friday, updating Americans about the operation’s progress and noting that all mines laid in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran have been cleared.
Gen. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said he was providing an operational update on the ongoing operations in the Middle East. He shared that there are about 50,000 troops in the region that are helping the U.S. complete its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
“The U.S. military has achieved a major milestone in the Strait of Hormuz. We have successfully cleared sea mines in the strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said.
Cooper showed the strait and its “recognized traffic separation scheme” that’s intended to allow ships transporting oil and other goods to pass by one another in the waterway.
“These are the long-standing lanes international shopping has historically used to transit the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “And over the past few months, our forces meticulously and quietly cleared them of sea mine threats using a combination of Navy divers, Navy SEALs, and U.S. air power from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.”
“The circumstances were challenging and dangerous, to say the least, but we got the job done.”
He said over the last several months U.S. forces have maintained their naval blockade on Iranian ports all while helping more than 1,000 ships transport the vital waterway, which is responsible for about 20% of the world’s oil transport.
Cooper said the CENTCOM forces have showed over the last several months that they are “vigilant, lethal and resolved.”
He said leadership has asked the men and women in the region to remain ready, should the operation escalate.
“I just could not be prouder of their efforts, and I know that the American people share that same pride,” Cooper said. “So, to all our service members, keep up the great work. Continue to take care of one another, and Godspeed.”
USS Lincoln heads home
The rare video message from CENTCOM comes just after the USS George Washington arrived in the region to replace the USS Lincoln, which had been deployed on the water since November and in the Middle East since January before the war started.
Reports circulated about poor living conditions aboard the Lincoln, prompting the Washington ship to transit and relieve the members on board.
It also comes as negotiations appear to be at a standstill with Iran. After months of fighting, ceasefires that have begun and ended, negotiations between the two countries are at a pivotal point for President Donald Trump.
While he said Thursday that he believes the war with Iran would be over very soon, the American people aren’t so sure. Public polling nationwide shows U.S. citizens are tired of the war and the high gas prices that have followed since the excursion started in February.
In Utah, a majority of respondents in a recent survey conducted by the Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics oppose the ongoing war with Iran. Their views become more complicated on specific military objectives, but Utahns would rather see the U.S. wind down the operation and instead put more economic sanctions on Iran.
The video from CENTCOM comes at a time when Trump faces pressure both internationally and domestically. His approval ratings both in Utah and nationally have been underwater since the start of the war.
With just months left to go until the November midterm elections, he and GOP leadership are looking to change the tune about the second Trump term. They are touting accomplishments and reportedly looking to buy advertisements that showcase what he’s done in office so far.
In the video, Cooper confirms that the waterway is open and safe for ships to navigate, but the state of the Strait of Hormuz has been in flux for months. At times, it’s been unclear if the waterway was closed by Iranian forces in an effort to restrict the world’s oil supply or if U.S. troops were able to maintain control over the strait as they maintain a blockade over the Iranian ports.