Ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz nearly halted after new attacks

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — LONDON — Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly ground to a halt after two more vessels were attacked in the waterway on Friday, according to Reuters. Only one grain ship and one empty bulk carrier passed through the strait on Friday, with no crude oil tankers detected, according to ship-tracking data from Kepler. The United Arab Emirates said two of its company vessels were attacked while transiting the strait on Thursday evening, a statement confirmed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The UAE government held Iran responsible for the assaults. Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia condemned the attack, while Tehran did not respond to the allegations. The developments come amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, with the United States signaling it could maintain its naval blockade against Iran indefinitely. Earlier, an Iranian senior source said talks aimed at advancing a June ceasefire agreement made no progress on Wednesday.