🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️ — U.S. officials say the U.S. military has significantly reduced Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, potentially marking a turning point that could gradually ease global economic pressure and improve prospects for a deal with Iran, Axios reports.

Iran has fired on ships but has “limited accuracy", with only about 2% of vessels transiting the Strait last month hit.

Officials say more than 200 mine-like objects have been cleared from the main shipping lane, though only 11 were identified as actual mines.

Traffic through the southern channel has increased to 20–30 tankers per night, carrying 9–10 million barrels of oil — roughly half the pre-war volume, per officials.

The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait have joined the US-protected export route; Saudi Arabia is expected to join, and Qatar may soon send LNG tankers.

The U.S. aims to widen the main channel by mid-September to allow at least 50 ships through each night, with a longer-term goal of restoring 60–70% of pre-war oil exports.