Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to just six vessels on Monday, down from an average of about 11 over the previous ten days, shipping data cited by Reuters showed, amid fading hopes for a peace deal between the US and Iran, BTA reports.
Four cargo ships, including two empty oil tankers, entered the strait, according to data from “Kpler”. Two ships have left the strait - a small tanker loaded with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and another vessel carrying residual fuels.
Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz typically carried between 130 and 140 ships a day.
By comparison, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, has remained relatively stable. On Monday, 25 ships passed through it, compared with an average of nearly 24 over the previous ten days, according to data from “Kpler”.
The decline in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz comes amid renewed tension over the terms of an end to the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump responded to Iran's conditions for a peace deal with his own demands, including that Tehran pay compensation to people killed in wars, attacks and protests.
The American proposal followed Tehran's demands for compensation and an end to sanctions. The Iranian terms largely correspond to the agreements in the preliminary peace agreement signed in June, which subsequently collapsed.
Since the war began in February, Trump has repeatedly alternated warnings of a possible escalation with statements that a peace agreement is close.