Cooper says Iran has no maritime imports or exports — Anadolu Agency

US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that Iran, with the exception of humanitarian aid permitted by the United States, is not importing or exporting goods by sea. He said this in a video address, Anadolu Agency reports.

Restrictions on oil exports

According to Cooper, US efforts are focused on limiting Iranian oil exports, disrupting digital financing and weakening the ability of Iranian security forces to pay their personnel.

The admiral claims that US forces have prevented Iran from exporting at least $25 billion worth of crude oil in recent months. He also said that CENTCOM supported US interagency partners in freezing nearly $350 million in cryptocurrency assets.

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Cooper said that Iran-linked groups in the region have begun withholding payments to their fighters in order to redirect funds to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to him, the IRGC is also having difficulties paying its personnel.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz

Despite the stated restrictions on Iran, Cooper said that commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues. He accused Iran of attacks on merchant vessels and said that the United States, together with regional partners and representatives of the shipping industry, is strengthening maritime security.

According to the CENTCOM commander, about 400 merchant vessels passed through the strait over the previous seven days. US forces, he claims, helped partners from Gulf countries transport more than 100 million barrels of oil along this route during that period, and more than 1.3 billion barrels in recent months.