Vessel traffic through Hormuz dwindles this week as markets watch Iran-Oman talks
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dwindled to 33 vessels from Monday to Thursday this week, data showed, versus 50 in the week-ago period, as markets watched talks between Iran and Oman for signs of progress in reopening the key waterway.
Four vessels transited the strait on Thursday, including a very large crude carrier, Nissos Kea, carrying about 2 million barrels of Basrah crude loaded in Iraq, Kpler data showed.
Of the rest, two were laden with liquefied petroleum gas and one was a minor bulk carrier.
Just six crude oil tankers have exited the strait this week, Kpler data showed. A total of 21 vessels have entered it so far, mostly via the Iranian route.
Several Chinese and Indian refiners have sought vessels this week to enter the strait and load crude at Iraq's Basrah Oil Terminal, attracted by steep discounts, shipping sources said.
However, no vessels have been fixed so far as shipowners are wary of entering the waterway, they said.
Iraq's state oil marketer SOMO offered discounts of close to $30 a barrel for Basrah Heavy and Basrah Medium crude to customers for August loading.
Typically, about 130 to 140 ships would transit the strait before Iran closed the waterway after the U.S.-Israeli war began on February 28.
A proposed deal between Iran and Oman to give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz is not easily workable because of U.S. sanctions and restrictive insurance clauses on payments, industry sources said.
On Thursday, 26 vessels transited the Bab al-Mandeb strait on the Red Sea, up from 19 a day before, Kpler data showed. LSEG counted 28 vessels, using a different tracking system and methodology.
Trump says Strait of Hormuz could reopen 'soon'
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen “soon,” saying talks over the crucial waterway were going “very well” and that he was involved in the negotiations.
Iran said Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with Oman on a new transit route through the strait. Any reopening, however, would depend on Washington, which has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, Iranian sources told local media.
After Rome talks, Lebanon has four weeks to convince Israel or face renewed military option
Lebanon now faces two paths: continued direct negotiations with Israel, which have stalled, or further military escalation.
Despite reports of progress in the talks, developments on the ground suggest Israel is continuing to pursue military pressure while separating it from the political track.
South Lebanon: Israeli attacks continue
The Israeli army carried out a major demolition in Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district early Friday, according to L’Orient Today correspondent. The explosion was heard in nearby villages and in Sour, while flames were visible from afar.
On Thursday evening, an Israeli Merkava tank fired five missiles at Haddatha. Several homes in the village have already been destroyed in recent days.
Israeli aircraft also struck two villages in the Sour district on Thursday, destroying buildings and injuring seven people, according to L’Orient Today’s correspondent. Israeli drones struck two villages in the Sour and Nabatieh districts, while artillery fire hit five locations in south Lebanon. Three major demolitions were also carried out in three villages.
At least 58 soldiers killed in Houthi attacks
Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked government forces on Thursday, killing at least 58 soldiers, according to an AFP source, in the deadliest escalation in more than four years of fighting.
The Iran-backed Houthis said the attacks were retaliation for a recent buildup of Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers were killed and dozens wounded, revising an earlier toll of 38 dead and 29 wounded.
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani leaders meet in Jeddah
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Jeddah on Friday for a summit expected to culminate in a defense agreement.
The meeting brings together three Sunni Muslim countries that have sought to mediate the conflict between the United States and Iran. It comes as signs of progress emerge over the Strait of Hormuz, despite the lack of a major diplomatic breakthrough between Tehran and Washington.
Welcome to our live blog
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Middle East developments, as the United States and Iran appear to be moving closer again to a deal aimed at ending the war that began on Feb. 28.
The conflict has recently expanded to Saudi Arabia, which is facing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
We will also follow developments in south Lebanon, where the Israeli army continues to occupy hundreds of square kilometers along the border. The seventh round of negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Rome ended without concrete progress.
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