Iranian threats during the war blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, forcing what was left of the North into its own waters.
before the war February 18-27
After Iranian retaliation 3-12 April
Now America has once again started its blockade by laying the chessboard.
After the American blockade
American ships are under blockade in the Gulf of Oman
American ships are under blockade in the Gulf of Oman
The U.S. blockade aims to end a dynamic that had become a new normal in the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel began war in late February: Iran allowed ships carrying its own cargo to pass through the strait, while it attacked commercial vessels and effectively blocked shipping from almost all of them.
Although Iran was getting much-needed revenue from Iranian-owned oil tankers that it allowed to pass, the US allowed them to transit the strait. The goal was to reduce the sharp rise in oil prices associated with the war.
Most of the ships leaving the Persian Gulf came from Iranian ports.
Where ships leaving a strait after the outbreak of war load cargo, oil or gas for the last time
On Monday, the United States imposed its own naval blockade intended to end Iran’s dominance of the waterway and cut off its oil income by blocking all traffic to and from its ports.
A US official said on Tuesday that more than 12 US military ships were deployed in international waters in the Gulf of Oman beyond the strait. Jennifer Parker, a former naval officer at the University of Western Australia’s Defense and Security Institute, said the military was likely monitoring the area remotely, using radar, patrol aircraft and drones.
Since the US blockade took effect, no ships linked to Iran have been seen leaving the region, according to ship tracking company Kpler.
Some ships appeared to have slowed or stopped. And at least two with ties to Iran, and which are targets of US sanctions, appeared to be headed back to the Persian Gulf as of Wednesday. One of the ships that diverted, the Rich Starry, a Chinese tanker, was seen traveling eastward through the strait toward open waters on Tuesday before making a U-turn.
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Some ships linked to Iran passed through the strait on Monday and Tuesday, according to US Central Command and companies such as Kpler. The ships remained close to the Omani coast, maintaining distance from potential sea mines in the middle of the waterway.
According to maritime intelligence experts, it is difficult to accurately account for how many ships are transiting the strait, because ships may hide or falsify information about their location.
How first Iran and then America changed shipping
Ship traffic in the strait slowed soon after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, dropping from about 130 ships per day to only a handful.
But ships not affiliated with Iran may also hesitate to attempt passage through this route. Amid fears that Iran could attack commercial ships in response to the US blockade, many shipping companies are unwilling to risk the crossing. This may not change in the absence of a long-term agreement between the United States and Iran.
Nearly 900 ships have been sunk in the Persian Gulf during the war, according to a New York Times analysis of Kepler data.
How long have ships been stranded in the Persian Gulf?
since the beginning of the war 10 to 42 days less than 10 days
omanunited arab emiratesomanQueueKuwaitIraqiransaudiArabbahrainPersian Gulfgulf of omanStrait ofHormuz
The standoff between the United States and Iran has sparked concerns that the ships will remain there for even longer, giving the Iranians the upper hand, said Andreas Craig, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London.
“We’re getting to a place where everyone is very desperate, so the Iranians are trying to exploit that as long as they can,” Mr. Craig said. “I think we’re going to have several months of disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.”
