Ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz grinds to near halt as US-Iran talks stall

WASHINGTON, United States — Global maritime tracking data shows ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, have slowed sharply. According to figures shared by Kepler, five dry cargo vessels passed through the strait on Saturday and none on Sunday, compared with 31 ships at the start of the previous week. The drop follows the collapse of talks between the United States and Iran aimed at easing regional tensions, along with recent strikes targeting tankers in the area. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a local media interview on Saturday that Washington must meet Tehran's conditions for maritime traffic through the strait to resume. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat had reached an agreement on a roadmap covering traffic through the strait, adding that Iran-Oman talks were progressing positively despite what he described as US attempts to obstruct them. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments transited the strait.