Iran-linked vessels pass through Hormuz ahead of US blockade

What Happened

On Tuesday, before a US naval blockade of Iranian ports took effect on Wednesday, 11 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, with 9 using the Iranian route, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler. Three empty tankers—one Aframax and two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs)—entered the strait, while exports from Iran included a VLCC carrying 2 million barrels of crude, a medium-range tanker with refined products, two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas, a laden methanol tanker, and a dry bulk carrier with iron ore aboard. No tankers from other Gulf producers were observed loading oil or gas on Tuesday. The United States said late Tuesday that Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the past week, killing, wounding, or leaving missing nearly a dozen crew members. The escalation has caused a sharp slowdown in shipping and lifted Middle East spot crude prices.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and LNG shipments. The US blockade and Iran's continued exports, amid intensified mutual strikes and accusations of commercial ship attacks, deepen the US-Iran conflict and disrupt energy markets, driving up crude prices and tightening supplies. Shipper risk aversion is now affecting non-Iranian lanes, potentially prolonging supply disruptions.

Watch For

The US blockade takes effect on Wednesday; any Iranian retaliation or further attacks on commercial shipping; potential US strikes on Iranian infrastructure as threatened; oil price movements and shipping traffic data; responses from Gulf states and international actors to the escalation.