U.S. did not need to dominate the water itself to break Iran’s ability to control or blockade the strait of Hormu. The US Navy blinded Iran’s military by destroying or jamming their ability to see and target ships — especially large commercial tankers. A video shows specific high-risk transit of a 1,000-foot supertanker through the narrow strait at 1 a.m. under complete blackout conditions.

All lights off
AIS/transponder and radio silenced
Using pre-cleared, mine-swept lanes
Navigating via encrypted channels

Corsair sea drones were used as one-way attack/kamikaze drones. They self-navigated to the Iranian coast (Bandar Abbas area) and struck coastal targets, including a docked Iranian submarine at the naval base. This marked the first combat use of U.S. sea drones. They targeted radar sites, missile batteries, and fast-attack boat positions along the coast. There were other missiles, bombs and weapons that destroyed radars, drones, factories and bases.

Two U.S. carriers (USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush) operated in the area.
They launched stealth fighters, radar planes (like E-2 Hawkeyes), and electronic attack aircraft. These conducted jamming of Iranian air defense and coastal surveillance radars/networks. They also carried out precision strikes on Iranian coastal sensors and command nodes.

Geographic and tactical advantages:The strait is only ~21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest, with a shipping lane just ~2 nautical miles wide.
The southern transit corridor (closer to Oman) uses terrain masking, making it harder for Iranian radars on the northern (Iranian) side to detect low-profile or darkened ships.
Mines were cleared in advance using unmanned systems and helicopters.

By destroying or jamming Iran’s coastal radars, sensors, and observation posts (via drones + carrier air power), the U.S. effectively made Iranian forces “blind.” Without reliable detection and targeting data, Iran could not effectively use its missiles, mines, or swarm boats against transiting ships — even if those ships were physically close.