General Mohebbi stated that while 30 to 40 American naval vessels previously maintained active patrols within the transit corridor and near the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, zero US warships currently operate within the immediate chokepoint. Rebuffing Washington's assertions regarding maritime navigation control, the IRGC spokesperson characterized ongoing US deterrence statements as attempts to obscure operational setbacks, asserting that the American military lacks the structural capacity to sustain an extended conflict. The 167-kilometer-long Strait of Hormuz—a vital maritime chokepoint handling roughly one-fifth of global petroleum shipments—remains central to regional security following Tehran's July 13 reinstatement of transit blockades.