Shipping traffic via Hormuz Strait dips to five on Thursday

Shipping traffic via the Hormuz Strait decreased on Thursday. According to Middle East Eye, five commodity vessels transited the strait, while Al-Monitor reported seven vessels, including two medium-range tankers and a very large gas carrier in both accounts. The numbers represent a drop from 17 vessels the day before and are below the 10-day average of 15.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important energy chokepoint. US forces have been involved in clearing Iranian mines from the international shipping lanes and have assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels to transit the strait, according to Gulf News. This effort has helped carry almost 750 million barrels of crude oil to global markets.

US forces have also been enforcing a blockade against Iran, which has constrained Tehran's ability to export oil. Since the blockade resumed in mid-July, Iran has exported zero oil from its shores, Gulf News reported. The US has turned around about 75 vessels attempting to breach the blockade and disabled three that refused to comply.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye, Al-Monitor, Gulf News, Haaretz — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.