Tensions in the Middle East/ Iran Again Closes the Strait of Hormuz, Maritime Traffic Slows

The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply after Tehran said it had once again closed this important maritime route, shipping data show.

Tehran said it had closed the strait — through which about 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies passed before the war — in retaliation for violations of a temporary ceasefire agreement by the United States and Israel.

Data from the analytics firm Kpler showed that on June 21 only five ships passed through the strait, down from 26 recorded a day earlier.

Three of them were identified as very large crude carriers (VLCCs) — each carrying about 2 million barrels of Saudi crude oil and fuel — and one of them was headed to Japan.

Some ships may not have been included in the statistics because they switched off their tracking devices while passing through the Persian Gulf.

Tehran lifted the strait blockade last week after reaching an agreement with the United States to extend the ceasefire announced in April for another 60 days, in order to give peace negotiations more room.

But on June 20, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the waterway closed again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

The US military said commercial ships continue to operate normally. Meanwhile, in the early hours of June 22, it was reported that the United States and Iran had agreed on a plan toward reaching a final peace agreement./REL