Overview
- Friday marks six months since the U.S.-Iran war began and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen from about 130 daily transits before the conflict to only a handful of vessels today.
- Iran told mediators it is negotiating with Oman for a temporary corridor that would bar military ships and route commercial traffic through Iranian and partly Omani waters.
- The United States says CENTCOM cleared mines and helped about 1,500 escorted transits, but independent trackers report far fewer crossings and recent tanker strikes show the route remains dangerous.
- The White House has launched an 'economic D-Day' campaign of secondary sanctions to choke Iran’s trade while Tehran says it will retaliate against U.S. economic targets if blockades continue.
- Commercial actors are using a 'shadow fleet' of transponder-silent sailings, ship-to-ship transfers and alternative Gulf of Oman terminals to keep oil moving, a practice that raises legal risk and endangers crews.