BRUSSELS, Jul 31 : Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just five vessels on Thursday after Iran warned the strategic waterway would remain closed while US military operations continued, according to shipping data.
Marine traffic analytics firm Kpler said the vessels comprised a cargo ship and an LPG tanker among the five that transited the Strait. All crossed via a route designated by Iranian authorities.
The sharp reduction in traffic followed a statement by Iran's powerful theocratic guard, the IRGC, which declared on Thursday that the Strait would "not be reopened" as long as "excessive rhetoric, threats by American officials, and their interference with maritime movements in the region continue."
Since the conflict escalated, Tehran has asserted authority over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, requiring vessels to comply with Iranian transit procedures. Iranian forces have also targeted ships that failed to adhere to those requirements, contributing to volatility in global energy markets amid months of US military strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks.
The US has intensified military operations against Iran in recent weeks, including strikes along the country's southern coastline near the Strait. Earlier this week, Iranian media reported that a US strike on Qeshm Island, which lies adjacent to the waterway, killed a couple and their two-year-old child.
Further south, Kpler reported that 47 vessels transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday despite heightened regional tensions.
The update came after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement announced a blockade on Saudi shipping through the strategic chokepoint. In response, Saudi Arabia on Thursday unveiled a Maritime Defense Alliance, backed by 14 other countries, aimed at protecting international shipping routes and safeguarding global trade.
(UNI)
