US escorts helped move 660 million barrels through Hormuz since May
What's new: Iran let some Iraqi tankers pass after Baghdad pressed for access, even as traffic remains well below prewar levels.
The U.S. military has helped about 1,300 commercial vessels carry more than 660 million barrels of crude through the Strait of Hormuz since early May, according to U.S. Central Command. The figure points to a partial recovery in oil flows through the waterway, though volumes remain far below the roughly 20 million barrels a day that moved before the Iran war. In a separate sign of limited easing, Iran granted permission for some Iraqi oil tankers to pass after repeated requests from Baghdad, Iranian state media reported. Iraqi officials said the arrangement followed talks with Tehran, while attacks and tight controls in the strait continue to disrupt shipping.