Strait of Hormuz remains virtually shut despite Iran war truce

Strait of Hormuz remains virtually shut despite Iran war truce

 Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday

Only one oil products tanker and five separate dry bulk carriers have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours despite Iran and the United States reaching a two-week ceasefire deal, according to analysis of data from ship trackers.

Traffic through the critical strait has remained at a virtual standstill, with little movement since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 and sailings averaging a few vessels daily, according to data from Kpler, Lloyd’s List Intelligence, and Signal Ocean.

This compares with an average of 140 vessels sailing daily through the strait before February 28, according to market estimates.

EU dismisses Iran’s Hormuz toll idea, says freedom of movement must be ensured

The EU says that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be ensured with “no payment or toll whatsoever,” after Iran suggested it could charge for letting ships through the vital Gulf waterway.

“International law provides for the freedom of navigation, which means… basically no payment or toll whatsoever,” European Commission spokesman Anouar El Anouni tells a press conference in Brussels. “Freedom of navigation is a public good and needs to be ensured.”

UAE oil firm chief says Hormuz still shut, Iran must open it without conditions

The Strait of Hormuz is shut, and Iran must open it without conditions and be held accountable for damages after attacks on facilities, United Arab Emirates state oil giant ADNOC’s CEO says.

The narrow waterway that Iran has effectively shuttered since the US-Israeli war began on February 28 is not open, Sultan Al Jaber says in a LinkedIn post, adding that access is being restricted, conditioned, and controlled.

“Iran has made clear — through both its statements and actions — that passage is subject to permission, conditions and political leverage. That is not freedom of navigation. That is coercion,” Jaber, also UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, writes.

“Energy producers must be able to swiftly and safely restore production at scale. At ADNOC, we have loaded cargoes and we will expand production within the constraints of the damage we have suffered.”

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