Five ships. That’s what crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the immediate aftermath of US strikes on Iran. A waterway that normally handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas trade was, for a moment, almost empty.
The numbers tell the story plainly. Maritime intelligence firm Kpler tracked just 23 vessel transits through the strait mid-week, down from 47 the prior week. Then came the strikes, and that number fell to five.
What happened and why it matters
US Central Command launched targeted strikes on Iran beginning July 8, hitting air defense installations, radar systems, anti-ship missile batteries, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels positioned along the strait.
The strikes were a direct response to Iranian attacks on at least three commercial vessels, including tankers and a liquefied natural gas carrier, that had been transiting the region.
