Jerusalem Post/Middle East/Iran NewsFive vessels passed the strait on Sunday, from 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.Follow us on GoogleVessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 16, 2026.(photo credit: STRINGER/FILE/REUTERS)ByREUTERSJUNE 22, 2026 04:05Updated: JUNE 22, 2026 04:10The number of ships that passed through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday after Iran announced it had again closed the waterway, citing Israeli and US violations of the interim peace deal, shipping data showed.Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, from 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.These included three Very Large Crude Carriers carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude and fuel oil each, one of which was heading to Japan.The data may exclude vessels that switch off their transponders while traveling in the Gulf.Iran lifted its effective blockade of the strait last week after agreeing with the United States to extend an April ceasefire for 60 days to allow for peace negotiations, but Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday declared the waterway shut once again in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.Oil tanker HELGA is moored at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second vessel to arrive since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, April 24, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Aty/File Photo)Commercial vessels still operating, crude oil passing throughThe US military said commercial vessels were still operating.Among the ships that exited the strait on Saturday, three of them were VLCCs carrying crude from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq, while there were also three tankers carrying various oil products, the data showed.A total of 13 ships entered the strait on Saturday, including two VLCCs, the data showed.Gulf producers Abu Dhabi National Oil Co and Kuwait Petroleum Corp have issued tenders selling crude with the option of loading from inside and outside the Strait of Hormuz.Follow us on Google