The US-Iraq conflict escalated and traffic in the Straits of Hormuz nearly stalled

On 9 July, for the second consecutive day, the United States launched a strike against Iran, and the fragile ceasefire between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran became increasingly unstable, with traffic in the Strait of Hormuz almost stalled on Thursday. Ship-tracing data show that, on this most important global energy channel, the most visible traffic is concentrated near the northern part of the waterway and via the Iranian approved route, while the United States-supported Oman corridor is cold. Of the large vessels, only one super-large tanker under United States sanctions sailed out of the Persian Gulf, while an Iranian-flagged container ship appeared in the strait. However, this does not exclude the possibility that some ships may pass through the Strait after they have shut down the transponder. This stands in stark contrast to recent daily activities in the Strait of Hormuz. In the three weeks since the provisional agreement was reached between the United States and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Kpler's data show that the average daily transit of cargo carriers was 34, with a peak of 59 on 24 June, compared with less than 20 daily during most of the war. Kim Xian