US military says it helped Gulf states export 1.5 billion barrels of oil

US Central Command says US forces have helped Gulf countries export more than 1.5 billion barrels of oil since June. It says more than 3,000 commercial vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz with US support in the past six months, and over 95 percent have sailed safely despite Iranian threats. During a regional visit, Admiral Brad Cooper said the main shipping routes through the strait had been cleared of Iranian mines. Crude oil flows reached at least 16.5 million barrels per day in September, matching the pre-war average excluding Iran, according to Kpler.