CENTCOM: US forces facilitate shipping of 1 billion oil barrels out of Strait of Hormuz

In Tehran, the Iranian regime organized its biggest rally since the start of the war, assembling on Friday hundreds of thousands of Iranians allegedly willing to receive limited military training.

By JNS

American forces supported the maritime transportation of 1 billion crude oil barrels out of the Strait of Hormuz in the last couple of months, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said in a recorded message on Saturday.

“We’ve reached this significant milestone while assisting over 2,000 commercial ship transits through the strait by providing coordinated protection,” Cooper said.

The flow volume of crude oil, liquid natural gas, and other cargo in the past two weeks has reached the highest point since the start of the conflict with Iran on Feb. 28, he said.

“Clearly, momentum is building,” the admiral continued, adding that primary transit routes in the choke point have been cleared of mines.

By contrast, Iran has exported zero barrels thanks to CENTCOM’s “ironclad blockade,” he said.

Cooper further stated that coordinated efforts with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar), as well as insurance and shipping companies, to increase the volume of traffic flow through the strait continue.

He added that CENTCOM is working with partners in the region in forming a “new coalition attack drone unit.”

Update from CENTCOM Commander: pic.twitter.com/PTX6n9fn56

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 19, 2026

On Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have struck a Togo-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, cited by AFP.

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported the same day that two tankers had been hit by “unknown projectiles” in separate incidents on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 while transiting the waterway.

The attack on Friday caused fire on one of the ships, which has since been extinguished, the British Royal Navy-sponsored organization said.

Iran prepares mobilization of hundreds of thousands

Meanwhile in Tehran, the Iranian regime organized its biggest rally since the start of the war, assembling on Friday hundreds of thousands of Iranians allegedly willing to receive limited military training, the Associated Press reported.

The march through downtown Tehran was dubbed “Janfaday-e Iran,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran,” per AP.

Leading up to the march, state media called on Iranians to join the campaign, saying that these volunteer trainees would function as an added layer to the country’s security apparatus, already comprised by the IRGC and its Basij paramilitary militia, which clamps down on domestic unrest.

Brig. Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the IRGC in Greater Tehran, was quoted by state media as saying that 600,000 volunteers have already registered to the new force, with more than 1 million expected to participate, according to AP.

Some of the marchers could be heard chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” the report said.

Trump: Tehran not ready for a deal

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told reporters on Friday that President Donald Trump plans to make the case against a nuclear Iran in his address at the U.N. General Assembly annual meeting on Sept. 22, according to Fox News.

The president will also discuss the ongoing diplomatic efforts in Gaza, Waltz said.

On Thursday, Trump said Iran wants to reach an agreement with Washington but is not yet ready to do so.

“Iran wants to make a deal; they’re not ready, in my opinion,” Trump told ABC11 in North Carolina. “We’re going to either make a deal that’s good, or we’re not going to make a deal at all.”

Referencing “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which was carried out in June 2025 against three key Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump continued, “If we would not have used our B-2 Bombers, we would right now have an Iran with a nuclear weapon, and they would use it.”

Speaking to Axios on Thursday, the American leader suggested that he was approaching a critical junction regarding the Islamic Republic.

“I have a big decision coming up,” he was quoted as saying. “Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me.”