CENTCOM has helped roughly 70 ships transit the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, establishing a guided pathway through waters that Iran has mined, tolled, and attacked since late February [1]. The operation does not include military escorts. It relies on communications and coordination along a route proven safe by two Navy destroyers in April and two U.S.-flagged commercial vessels in May [1].

Thousands of seafarers remain stranded. Up to 20,000 mariners are stuck in the Persian Gulf aboard hundreds of vessels, unable to move without risking attack or paying IRGC-coordinated tolls [2]. Before the war, the strait handled 761 vessel transits per week. In the week ending May 17, just 61 ships made the crossing [1].

CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins described the effort as proof the waterway is not closed [1]. But the gap between "open" and "safe" defines the blockade's second-order cost: insurance premiums have spiked, rerouting has added weeks to voyages, and seafarers from the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka bear the human burden of a geopolitical standoff they did not choose [1][3].

Iran has reinforced its control with drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping. As of May 17, the Joint Maritime Information Center had recorded 29 serious attacks, one minor incident, and three attempts in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters [1]. The guidance is governance, and governance implies duration.

-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem