The U.S. military has quietly assisted 70 commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz over the past three weeks, according to a New York Times report released on Sunday citing anonymous U.S. officials.
The officials declined to disclose specific details about the types of vessels or exact routes taken, but indicated that at least one of the guided passages used a route that stayed clear of the Iranian coastline.
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Shipping analysts said that the U.S.-coordinated transits were mostly closer to the waters off Oman.
Because the vessels reportedly transited with their transponders turned off, independent analysts have been unable to verify the precise number of ships involved.
