US claims that the Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines and is operating normally have failed to convince the shipping industry, as commercial traffic remains far below prewar levels amid Washington’s continuing war on Iran.

In an analysis published by Foreign Policy, Elisabeth Braw, a columnist at the publication and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, examined the widening gap between statements from US officials and the conditions confronting ships navigating the strategic waterway.

Braw noted that US President Donald Trump announced on August 25 that the US Navy had removed or detonated all mines in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump subsequently insisted that the waterway was open, while US Central Command commander Brad Cooper said US forces had cleared sea mines from internationally recognized shipping lanes.

Yet, she writes, commercial shipping has not returned to anything resembling prewar levels.

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