US Central Command (CENTCOM) said most of the IRGC's attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz have failed, and that about 97% of the ships that intended to transit the waterway passed through without being hit by IRGC projectiles. Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, told Fox News on Saturday, 17 October 2026, that the Strait of Hormuz is open and ship traffic continues.
CENTCOM also said that since the naval blockade of Iran's ports resumed on Donald Trump's orders on 14 July, up to Saturday, 17 October, US forces have rerouted 138 vessels. In a post on X, the command stressed strict enforcement of the blockade and said the destroyer USS Rafael Peralta is under way in regional waters to support the blockade of Iran's ports. The number of vessels rerouted had previously been announced as 133.
Two simultaneous US missions in the Strait of Hormuz
According to Hawkins, US forces are carrying out two missions at the same time: protecting freedom of navigation in the strait and maintaining the naval blockade of Iran's ports. He said that apart from ships carrying humanitarian aid, no imports or exports have reached Iran without US permission. He called the IRGC's attempt to close the strait unjustifiable and unsuccessful, and said more than 50,000 US troops are stationed in the Middle East and that the US continues to defend its allies' airspace in the Persian Gulf against attacks by the Islamic Republic.
The day before, the IRGC had declared the Strait of Hormuz "closed", a claim CENTCOM once again rejected. According to CENTCOM, the Singapore-flagged, Cyprus-owned container ship JFS Pride was hit by an IRGC projectile last Wednesday and sank while being towed to shore after a fire.
The human cost of IRGC attacks on shipping
Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said on Friday, 16 October, citing International Maritime Organization figures, that since February more than 20 civilian seafarers have been killed in IRGC attacks on ships. He also said that 400 commercial ships transited the Strait of Hormuz in one week, and that crude oil moved through the strait with the help of the US and its allies in recent months has reached 1.3 billion barrels. Cooper had earlier said the naval blockade has stopped at least $25 billion worth of Islamic Republic oil exports.
According to CENTCOM, 97% of ships have passed safely through the Strait of Hormuz despite IRGC attacks.
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