00:20The U.S. is tightening its protection of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz,
00:25and that is raising serious questions about Washington's grip over the strategic waterway.
00:32Since May, American forces have provided air-based protection for commercial vessels,
00:37especially oil tankers, using a route along the Omani side of the Strait.
00:42But now, that protection has been sharply narrowed.
00:46According to recent reporting, U.S. maritime guidance has reduced the preferred protection periods
00:52to just two specific time windows each day.
00:56Ships are still allowed to transit outside those windows,
00:59but vessels using the recommended slots are expected to receive the strongest available U.S. support.
01:06That is a major shift from the broader protection periods previously available.
01:11And there is a clear reason for the change.
01:14Iran has stepped up attacks on ships traveling at night,
01:18forcing the United States to concentrate its limited air defense resources
01:22into shorter, more controlled periods.
01:25A commercial vessel can take roughly seven hours to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
01:30That means timing has now become a critical part of surviving the journey.
01:34The U.S. has helped thousands of commercial vessels move through the waterway since May,
01:40with CENTCOM saying American support has covered around 1,600 vessels
01:45and more than 800 barrels of oil.
01:47But despite that effort, shipping through Hormuz remains heavily disrupted.
01:53Traffic is far below pre-war levels,
01:56while freight costs for Gulf to Asia crude shipments have surged.
02:00And the security threat remains severe.
02:03The development also puts fresh focus on President Donald Trump's assurances about the Strait of Hormuz.
02:09Washington has repeatedly emphasized that the waterway remains functional
02:14and that American forces are keeping vital shipping lanes open.
02:18But restricting the strongest protection to just two daily windows
02:22shows that unrestricted, round-the-clock security has not been restored.
02:27Iran has not been able to completely shut the Strait,
02:31but the United States has also not been able to guarantee normal,
02:35unrestricted commercial traffic without adapting its military protection.
02:39For global energy markets, that creates a dangerous reality.
02:45The Strait of Hormuz remains open,
02:47but moving through it now depends heavily on timing,
02:50military protection and the ability to avoid Iranian attacks.
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