The United States says weeks of complex, secretive military operations in the Strait of Hormuz have helped return oil flows to near prewar levels and weakened a key source of Iranian leverage. U.S. and Gulf forces have conducted near-daily carrier-based missions to protect commercial vessels from Iranian cruise missiles and drones, using F-35C and F/A-18 fighters alongside electronic-warfare aircraft, radar planes and submarine-hunting helicopters. The U.S. military says more than 3,000 commercial vessels transited the strait over the past six months, while Persian Gulf oil exports exceeded prewar levels in recent weeks. Central Command has marked 1.5 billion barrels exported since the summer. The conflict has continued since February, and the United States is highlighting the maritime gains ahead of a threatened return to all-out war after next week’s U.S. midterm elections. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, flew over the waterway last weekend.