Overview
- U.S. officials say the American military helped move more than 15 million barrels of oil and products through routes near the Strait of Hormuz, with a seven‑day average above 8 million barrels per day, giving Washington evidence that flows have recovered from earlier lows.
- U.S. naval forces have stepped up enforcement of a blockade on Iranian ports and have redirected about 70 commercial vessels while disabling three ships and boarding others, creating new legal and operational risks for ship operators.
- Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission approved Article 3 of a draft law to charge fees for services to “authorised” vessels transiting the strait, a step toward formalizing selective access and revenue from passages.
- Tehran has already issued selective permissions and held diplomatic contacts, including allowing some Iraqi tankers to pass and a phone call between Iran’s foreign minister and Oman’s counterpart, as regional mediators press for talks.
- The Strait of Hormuz remains a chokepoint that once carried about one‑fifth of seaborne oil and LNG; sustained contestation raises insurance and shipping costs, keeps commercial traffic far below normal, and leaves markets vulnerable to spikes if tensions escalate.