Only 23 tankers and cargo ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to the maritime intelligence firm Kpler – a precipitous drop from 47 a week earlier. The collapse in traffic follows a series of tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran, triggered by an attack on three tankers earlier this week.
The three vessels were using a US-recommended route through Omani waters when they were struck. Iran has repeatedly insisted that the only “safe” route lies through its own waters. For decades, ships have freely passed through the strait, through which more than a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies flow, along with fertiliser and other vital goods. Before the conflict began, an average of 138 ships crossed each day, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a multinational group including the US.
“Strait of Hormuz traffic fell to 23 ships on Wednesday after US-Iran strikes over tanker attacks.”
That changed dramatically after the US and Israel launched their first strikes on Iran on 28 February. Traffic fell to just a handful of ships per day as Iran effectively closed the strait by attacking vessels and laying mines, prompting a US blockade on all shipping to and from Iranian ports.
A deal to end the war, signed on 17 June, included steps to reopen the strait. Washington agreed to lift its naval blockade and ease sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Following the agreement, overall traffic initially increased, peaking at 72 ships on 24 June.
But tensions quickly resurfaced. Throughout negotiations, Iran insisted on its right to control movement through the strait and introduce fees for ships to pass. The US, Gulf allies and governments in Europe and Asia opposed this, demanding free and open passage as before.
After the deal, Iran set out a system of lanes in the north of the waterway, close to its coast, declaring that all traffic must use them. “The only safe route for the passage of commercial ships and oil tankers in the strait is the route determined by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iran’s top military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, reiterated after this week’s ship strikes.
The JMIC instead recommended a southern route through Omani waters. For a time, that route grew busier: Kpler data shows 28 vessels used it on 25 June, surpassing the Iranian route. Then, on 25 and 27 June, two ships in Omani waters were struck, and Iran warned all vessels to only use its approved routes.
President Donald Trump accused Iran of a “foolish violation” of the truce. The US military responded with strikes on Iranian targets. The latest violence has now driven traffic back down, raising renewed questions about the durability of the peace deal and the security of one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints.