Hormuz Strait Paralyzed Six Months into Middle East Conflict
Six months into the conflict in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz remains largely paralyzed. This strategic waterway is crucial for global oil and liquefied natural gas exports, with around one fifth of the world's supply passing through it before Iran blocked it.
In February, joint US-Israeli strikes prompted Iran to block the strait, leading to a significant decline in commodity carrier traffic. According to an AFP analysis of data from maritime tracker Kpler, average daily transits plummeted to 10 per day in March, down from 95 in February.
An agreement signed by the United States and Iran in June temporarily increased traffic to 36 transits per day, but this was short-lived. After hostilities resumed on July 8, average daily transits dropped back to 15 between July 8 and August 22.