Washington, DC [US], October 18 (ANI): The US military has claimed that 97 per cent of vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz have passed through safely without being hit by Iranian projectiles, asserting that the strategic shipping route remains open despite attacks on commercial vessels.US Central Command (CENTCOM) Spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told Fox News Digital that coordinated naval protection efforts had helped thousands of commercial ships safely navigate the vital maritime corridor, even following the recent loss of a container ship in the regional waterway.The official comments follow confirmation from CENTCOM that the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged container ship owned by a Cyprus-based entity, was struck by an Iranian projectile on Wednesday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel caught fire and subsequently sank while being towed ashore.Despite the incident, Hawkins maintained that most Iranian attacks on commercial vessels had been unsuccessful and that maritime traffic through the strategic waterway was continuing.”The vast majority of Iran’s attempted attacks on innocent civilian mariners transiting an international waterway, being the Strait of Hormuz, are unsuccessful. As a matter of fact, the U.S. military has assisted in providing coordinated protection for thousands of ships that have safely transited,” Hawkins said.”That translates to about 97% of the ships that have sought to transit the Strait of Hormuz have done so successfully without being hit by an Iranian projectile. It is open, it is available for transit, and we’ve seen that transit continue this very day,” he added.US forces and regional partner navies continue to provide maritime security across the Strait of Hormuz to sustain the uninterrupted flow of international commerce.Earlier on Friday, United States Admiral Brad Cooper claimed that Iran was facing a financial crunch and was unable to finance its proxy militia as Washington blocked its trade via sea.In a statement posted by CENTCOM on X, Cooper said that the US delivered severe blows to Iran’s finances.“Iran has no exports or imports by sea. The sum total of these actions has imposed a devastating cost on Iran’s security apparatus and IRGC specifically. In recent months, CENTCOM in close coordination with US agency partners has delivered severe blows to the Islamic regime and the IRGC in three important areas,” Adm Cooper said.CENTCOM claimed that Iran has lost USD 25 billion as its oil exports were affected, while USD 350 million in cryptocurrency had been frozen.The CENTCOM Commander also said that Iran is experiencing shortfalls in multiple sectors including energy and oil, steel and heavy industry, manufacturing, automotive, aviation, construction, security and military.Asserting US’ control over the Strait of Hormuz, Adm Cooper added, “In seven days alone, 400 ships have sailed through the Strait. US has also assisted Gulf partners in shipping over 100 million barrels of crude oil during the same period, adding to more than 1.3 billion barrels we have helped allies to ship in recent months.”While the US claims its control over the Strait, earlier today, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that an “illegal supertanker” carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil was hit by a sea mine while attempting to pass through the “unauthorised” Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s agency, ISNA, reported that the incident resulted in an explosion and a severe fire.According to UKMTO’s weekly review, 135 such incidents have occurred in the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing Iran-US conflict. Both the US and Iran have asserted their control over the strategic shipping route. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)