US CENTCOM Says Hormuz Blockade 'Highly Effective'

US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins told Al Jazeera that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is "highly effective," stating Iran does not control the waterway and that 900 million barrels of oil have passed through since May. The claim confirms an active US military posture restricting one of the world's most strategic oil chokepoints near Iran, a direct signal of ongoing confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Continued US control over this corridor raises the risk of a wider clash involving Iran and its regional allies, a scenario with direct bearing on Israel's security environment.