The long choked Strait of Hormuz is finally seeing business with supplies from Qatar entering the market for the first time since the war broke out. After being mostly quiet during the conflict, oil flows are picking up again as Gulf countries restart crude exports. This comes as regional activity improves and talks between the US and Iran move forward, helping ease tensions in the area.A shipment of Qatar’s Al-Shaheen grade was sold this week to Taiwan’s Formosa Petrochemical Corp, which was seeking supplies for August to September, according to traders familiar with the matter. The volumes were sold by trading house Mercuria Energy Group Ltd, they told Bloomberg.Traders also said that some of the same grade, along with Qatar’s Marine and Land varieties, were sold to an Indian refiner last week. The traders asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak publicly.These deals mark the first observed transactions of Qatari crude to Asian refiners since the war began. However, Qatar has been significantly more active in restarting production and exports of liquefied natural gas during this period.Separately, state-owned QatarEnergy issued its first crude oil sell tender since the Iran war began. The tender offers cargoes for July and August, which can be collected within the Persian Gulf or via ship-to-ship transfer at locations just outside the Strait of Hormuz.Qatar has continued to move liquefied natural gas tankers in and out of the Persian Gulf through the strait. It is also planning to rapidly increase production of LNG once the waterway fully reopens, aiming to restore most export capacity within two months, according to people familiar with the matter.Tanker activity has also increased near Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility. The Greek-owned supertanker Kiku was seen loading 2 million barrels of Qatari crude from the Al-Shaheen floating storage and offloading terminal, according to ship-tracking data.The Kiku entered the Persian Gulf on June 19 after last broadcasting from the Gulf of Oman on June 13, making it one of the first large crude carriers to enter the Gulf since the US–Iran deal.In a separate development, QatarEnergy also offered a cargo of gasoline for export next month from its Mesaieed refinery in the Persian Gulf, indicating a broader ramp-up in processing activity.Middle Eastern fuel oil exports are also expected to rebound to a four-month high in June, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia diverting supply to other ports as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz increase, according to trade sources and shipping data.Oil after peace dealOil futures have fallen sharply this month, though prices edged higher on Thursday after an attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz raised fresh concerns over safe passage through the waterway. Increased activity through the strait has already supported a rebound in crude exports from the United Arab Emirates, as well as sales from Iraq and Kuwait.Data from Kpler and LSEG shows regional exports are expected to reach about 2.4 million metric tons (508,000 barrels per day) this month, up more than 20% from May. However, this remains well below the monthly average of 5.5 million to 6.0 million tons recorded before the war.According to Palash Jain, Middle East oil consultant at FGE NexantECA, fuel oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are expected to increase over the next 60 days, though the recovery is unlikely to be substantial. He added that uncertainty over the outcome of negotiations and the durability of the peace deal is likely to keep shippers cautious.Late on Wednesday, Aframax tanker Gamsunoro, carrying about 80,000 tons of fuel oil loaded in Iraq, exited the Strait of Hormuz and headed for Fujairah, shipping data on LSEG showed.