Hormuz Traffic Stays Far Below 130 Ships a Day as 500 Vessels Remain Stranded
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 19
Hormuz Traffic Stays Far Below 130 Ships a Day as 500 Vessels Remain Stranded
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 19
Summary
At least five tankers transited the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and 25 ships on Thursday, but traffic remained well below the roughly 130 vessels a day seen before the war.
The fragile pickup faltered after the next round of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland was postponed, Israel and Hezbollah traded fire before announcing a cease-fire, and a Revolutionary Guards-linked outlet urged closing the strait.
That renewed uncertainty hit just after Wednesday's Trump-Pezeshkian agreement opened a 60-day negotiating period and prompted the U.S. military to lift its blockade on Iranian ships.
About 500 commercial vessels and 11,000 seafarers are still stuck in the Gulf, with many operators saying they need firmer guarantees of safe passage before sending ships out.
With Iran now regulating Hormuz traffic, is this a fragile peace or the prelude to a new economic war?
Can the US-Iran peace deal survive the unresolved conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz: The Islamabad Memorandum and the High-Stakes Recovery from the 2026 Iran War
Overview
The Islamabad Memorandum, signed on June 17, 2026, by the leaders of the United States and Iran and brokered by Pakistan, led to the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This triggered a rapid but complex restart of commercial shipping, with over 200 tankers waiting to pass through the strait. The initial days saw a surge in vessel traffic as the backlog began to clear, but a full return to normal shipping levels is expected to take longer. The pace of recovery depends on effective coordination among authorities, insurers, and shipping companies, highlighting the challenges of restoring stability after months of conflict.