Washington, Aug. 28 -- CENTCOM chief Adm Brad Cooper, has backed President Donald Trump's claim that the main shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz are now free of sea mines, saying the waterway is "open, and momentum is building".
In a video statement posted online Thursday, Cooper said US forces had "meticulously and quietly" cleared mines laid months earlier by Iran's theocratic guard, the IRGC.
"Internationally recognized transit routes in the strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the U.S. military," he said. "Today, international shipping lanes are open, and momentum is building."Trump said Thursday that US forces had helped 24 oil tankers transit the strait the previous night, again insisting that th...