WANA (Aug 05) – The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said early Wednesday that the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial vessels, making a statement that comes amid Iran’s warnings against any attempt by the United States to establish an alternative passageway in the strategic waterway.

 

In a statement, CENTCOM said: “The southern route through the Strait of Hormuz is open and available for all commercial vessels seeking to transit this international waterway.”

 

The U.S. military command also claimed that American forces had assisted more than 1,000 vessels in safely passing through the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months and that the effort was continuing. The statement accused Iran of disrupting maritime traffic without providing further details.

 

The remarks come as Iran has repeatedly warned commercial vessels operating in its southern waters that they must use the routes designated by Tehran for transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Iran has also said that attempts by ships to pass through routes outside the designated framework could pose serious risks to the safety of those vessels.