Dozens of ships resume transit through Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran deal

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has increased after the United States and Iran signed a deal aimed at ending the war. At least 172 vessels have crossed the waterway since the agreement was signed, including 42 ships on Saturday alone, according to maritime intelligence data. The movement comes after a period of disruption in one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.

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The latest figures show the pace of transits remains below the pre-conflict average of about 138 crossings a day, but the flow has clearly resumed. Ship-tracking data indicates that more than 200 tankers were waiting inside the strait on Tuesday, while at least 10 ships were moving west into the Gulf. At least 30 tankers have also departed the Gulf carrying Iranian oil and petrochemicals since the agreement, according to a senior research analyst at a monitoring group focused on Iran-linked shipping.

The deal also appears to have changed the legal and operational environment for shipping. The US naval blockade was lifted as part of the agreement, and the US Treasury has eased sanctions by issuing a licence allowing the sale of Iranian crude oil, petrochemicals and other oil products until 21 August. On Monday, at least five tankers previously sanctioned by the US for links with Iran moved through the strait, carrying up to four million barrels of oil.

Analysts said there has also been an increase in normal commercial traffic, including liquefied natural gas tankers heading to Qatar's Ras Laffan port. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for global energy supplies, and any change in traffic there can quickly affect oil markets. Brent crude, the international benchmark, has fallen to its lowest level since the war began, reflecting expectations that shipping risk may be easing.

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The latest movements also matter because they suggest the agreement is already influencing both sanctioned and non-sanctioned trade flows through the same narrow corridor. The vessels are using the Iranian-approved northern route through Iranian waters rather than the southern route near Oman that had been recommended by the United States. That detail is significant because routing choices in the strait have been closely tied to security concerns during the conflict.

More than 250 tankers and 440 cargo ships are still inside the Gulf based on their last reported positions, showing that the wider shipping picture remains unsettled even as some traffic resumes. What remains unclear is how quickly traffic will return to normal levels and whether the current pattern will hold if the political agreement comes under pressure. It is also not yet clear how many of the waiting tankers will move in the coming days, or whether the temporary US licence will be extended beyond 21 August.

For now, the key question is whether the reopening of the strait will translate into a sustained recovery in energy shipments and lower disruption for global trade.

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