Iran conflict 2026: US aids ship transit in Hormuz Strait while enforcing blockade

CENTCOM forces disabled two vessels by firing Hellfire missiles, similar to the one shown here, at the ships. (Janes/Patrick Allen)

US forces are assisting a limited number of commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to defence analysts, while US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said it continues to enforce a blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, including by disabling ships it says failed to comply with warnings by targeting them with Hellfire missile strikes.

“This operation, and a previous one covering the exit of US-flagged commercial ships from the Persian Gulf [also known as the Arabian Gulf], saw US destroyers weather multiple attacks from cruise missiles, drones, and the ubiquitous Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) attack boats,” naval analyst Steven Wills wrote in a 19 May analysis that appeared in the Center for Maritime Strategy online journal The MOC.

“The US Navy also appears to have found mine-free passages for transiting Hormuz, suggesting that Iran's mine-laying campaign has failed to block passage except by forcing ships into Iranian territorial waters,” Wills said.

Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Bryan Clark agreed that the US may have found a relatively mine-free passage route. “The narrow channel next to Oman must be mine-free,” Clark told Janes on 2 June.

“However, that [route] can only support a small number of ships in a single file.” Clark said. The location of the route could provide protection against other types of attacks, he noted. “They [the ships transiting the route] are farther from Iran, so there is more warning [about any attack attempts] and shore-based defences in Oman can help.”