Thursday the Strait of Hormuz was largely deserted as commercial shipping stayed
clear amid fears of renewed military escalation after a second round of US
strikes this week on Iranian military targets. By Thursday morning no commercial
vessels were transiting the channel. Shipping was already thin on Wednesday:
Bloomberg AIS data showed only six transits in both directions that day,
including a Turkish Suezmax entering the Persian Gulf to load. Iran said
multiple vessels tried to enter the Gulf overnight without permission, with some
turning back and two intercepted; those claims are unverified due to heavy
signal jamming and navigation-system failures that have hampered external
tracking. Tehran also reported 26 vessels transited the strait in the past 24
hours, a figure it said may include small coastal craft.
