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The “vast majority” of Iran’s attempted attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are “unsuccessful” because the main waterway remains open to transit, U.S. Central Command spokesman U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News Digital this week.
Hawkins spoke after CENTCOM said the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged container ship owned by Cyprus, was hit by an Iranian projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and sank while being towed ashore due to a fire on board the vessel.
“The vast majority of Iran’s attempted attacks on innocent civilian mariners transiting an international waterway, namely the Strait of Hormuz, fail. In fact, the U.S. military has helped provide coordinated protection to thousands of vessels that have transited safely,” Hawkins said. “This means that approximately 97% of ships that attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz did so successfully without being hit by an Iranian projectile.
“But let’s be clear, what Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is doing is unjustified and it is also failing because it is not achieving its goal of closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he added. “It’s open, it’s available for transit, and we’ve seen that transit continues even today.”
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An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter lands on the flight deck of the USS Rafael Peralta as it transits regional waters, in this photo released by U.S. Central Command on October 15, 2026. CENTCOM said the USS Rafael Peralta is imposing a military blockade of Iranian ports. (CENTCOM)
In an update Friday from CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, he said: “In recent days and months, we have seen the IRGC continually attack merchant ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and, in many cases, kill innocent civilian sailors.
“The International Maritime Organization reports that more than 20 civilian sailors have been killed by Iranian attacks on commercial shipping since February,” Cooper continued.
“In the past seven days alone, approximately 400 merchant ships have crossed the Strait. U.S. forces have also helped our Gulf partners ship more than 100 million barrels of crude oil during the same period, adding to the more than 1.3 billion barrels of crude we have helped our regional allies ship across the Strait in recent months,” he added.
Hawkins also told Fox News Digital that he believes “every American should be proud of the U.S. military serving across the Middle East, particularly focused on achieving two things at once when it comes to Iran.”
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Ships are seen in the Strait of Hormuz, near Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
“And one of them is helping to keep the flow through the Strait of Hormuz in the form of commercial vessels despite Iran’s unwarranted aggression,” Hawkins said, noting that thousands of ships have passed through the waterway in recent months, “in addition to more than a billion barrels of crude oil.”
“At the same time as they encourage free flow of traffic to support international shipping, they maintain a steel blockade against Iran. There have been no exports or imports to Iran without U.S. authorization in the form of allowing passage of humanitarian vessels,” Hawkins continued. “This shows the precision, dedication and professionalism of our troops executing this complex mission – not just one – but two at the same time.”
More than 50,000 U.S. military personnel are currently stationed in the Middle East, according to Hawkins.
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle is refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker as it patrols the skies over the Middle East, according to CENTCOM, in this image released October 2, 2026. (CENTCOM)
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“They are very vigilant, they are very dedicated and they serve with courage and bravery. And they do it alongside our regional allies and partners. It should be remembered that we continue to stand with our Gulf allies and partners to help them defend their airspace against unwarranted and unwarranted attacks by Iran, and we have been very successful working together and we will continue to do so,” he said.
Liz Friden of Fox News contributed to this report.
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