Hormuz transits slip as US and Iran trade control claims
Commodity vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dipped below its August average as Washington and Tehran exchanged rival claims over the waterway.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has cooled in recent days, with transit numbers slipping below the monthly average as geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran intensify.
Data from Kpler shows nine commodity vessels crossed the strait on Thursday, up from five a day earlier but still below the August daily average of 12. The movements included five entries into the Gulf and four exits toward the Gulf of Oman, with most vessels using the Iranian shipping lane.
The dip comes amid competing assertions of control. The newly appointed head of Iran's Basij paramilitary force declared on Thursday that the strait is "under Iran's control and management." In response, the United States said it could sustain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and would escalate economic pressure, with ceasefire efforts showing little progress.
Shipping risk remains elevated. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company reported that two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the strait on Thursday evening, though no injuries were recorded. The United Arab Emirates has accused Iran of carrying out the assault.
Elsewhere, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait remained broadly steady, with 19 commodity vessels passing through with transponders active on Thursday, compared with 20 the previous day. Analysts note that some ships may be sailing with transponders switched off, meaning actual traffic could be higher than recorded.