Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains at a near standstill situation, with only seven vessels passing on Thursday despite a ceasefire in place.
As global oil supply faces a massive disruption on record, President Trump publicly rebuked Iran’s handling of the waterway and the path to normalcy grows murkier by the hour.
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained well below 10% of normal levels on Thursday, even as the US-Iran ceasefire held in name. According to Tasnam News Agency, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed vessels to navigate through Iranian waters near Larak Island, citing the risk of naval mines in the strait’s standard shipping lanes.
According to the data firm Kpler, only seven vessels; four tankers and three bulk carriers crossed the strait on Thursday, bringing the total number of transits since the ceasefire to at least 12, showcasing a major disruption on record.
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Furthermore, US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Iran’s handling of the strait, writing on social media that Iran was doing “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz”, further adding: “That is not the agreement we have!”.
Trump also raised concerns over unverified reports of Iran levying fees on passing tankers. The White House, while backing the reopening of the strait as part of the ceasefire terms, has stated its opposition to Iran using military control of the waterway to generate toll revenue.
Meanwhile, Iran firmly denied reports of ongoing nuclear negotiations in Pakistan. Tehran’s state media, citing Tasnim News Agency, stated that neither Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi nor Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf had travelled abroad, dismissing a Wall Street Journal report that claimed an Iranian delegation had arrived in Islamabad.
Iran’s position on talks remains conditional. A source cited by Tasnim stated that negotiations with the United States are on hold “as long as Washington does not fulfil its ceasefire commitments in Lebanon and Israeli strikes continue.”
