Hormuz Shipping Slows Sharply After Iran Announces Strait Closure

Published 22 June 2026 · world

Hormuz Shipping Slows Sharply After Iran Announces Strait Closure Published By Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 12:11 IST Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz

Hormuz Shipping Slows Sharply After Iran Announces Strait Closure Published By Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 12:11 IST Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply after Iran announced its closure, as US and Iranian officials held talks to preserve a fragile peace deal. Rapid Read Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply after Iran announced the waterway’s closure Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declined sharply after Iran announced the closure of the key waterway in response to Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to maritime tracking data. Data from maritime intelligence company Windward showed that only 12 vessels crossed the strait on Sunday, compared to 35 transits recorded a day earlier. The company also noted that five of the eight vessels entering the waterway had switched off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). Describing the situation, Windward said in a post on Maritime activity in the strait had begun recovering after US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran.

According to maritime intelligence provider Kpler, 25 vessels passed through the strait on Thursday, the highest number recorded since mid-April. However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed, citing Israeli actions in Lebanon and accusing the United States of failing to maintain a ceasefire in the country. US Central Command (CENTCOM) disputed Iran’s claim, stating that safe passage through the waterway remained intact. According to CENTCOM, 55 merchant vessels transited the strait on Saturday. The difference between figures provided by the US military and commercial tracking companies remains unclear. Behrouz Bakhtiari, a supply chain management expert at McMaster University in Canada, said the discrepancy could be due to the inclusion of vessels operating without visible tracking signals. He said some ships may have switched off their AIS transponders to avoid detection by the Iranian military while traveling close to the Omani coastline.

Bakhtiari said Iran had an interest in highlighting reduced traffic through the strait, while CENTCOM was incentivised to show that the impact of the closure had been limited. He added that the military figures could not be independently verified, though that did not necessarily mean they were inaccurate. Meanwhile, US and Iranian negotiators held talks in Switzerland on Sunday as tensions linked to the conflict in Lebanon threatened efforts to turn a 60-day ceasefire extension into a lasting peace agreement. Following the discussions, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said both sides had discussed the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz and that an important mechanism had been established. Despite renewed tensions and slowing maritime traffic, oil prices fell during early trading in Asia on Monday. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was down about 0.9 percent at just below $80 a barrel as of 01:30 GMT.