Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged to about 5% of its pre-war daily average after the United States announced a blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports on April 13. Former president Donald Trump met advisers to review an Iranian proposal US officials say would link reopening the strait to an agreement for the United States to end its involvement in the fighting.

Trump convenes advisers on Iranian proposal

Former president Donald Trump met with senior advisers to examine a plan presented by Tehran that could offer a pathway out of the current stalemate, according to officials briefed on the meetings. US officials say the proposal would link reopening the Strait of Hormuz to an agreement that the United States end its involvement in the fighting.

The White House meeting coincided with Iran's top diplomat travelling to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin. Iranian officials have said they will keep control over the strait, while US policymakers have sought to limit Tehran's ability to export oil and move goods at sea.

The US announced a blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports on April 13. US naval forces have boarded at least two vessels and say they've intercepted 38 ships since the blockade began.

Mastheads

Shipping data show a sharp reroute

Marine traffic and tanker-tracking firms report that only a fraction of usual cargoes are moving through Hormuz. Marine intelligence firm Kpler identified 17 ships crossing the strait between Friday and Sunday in its latest tracking interval.

  • Four large loaded tankers were among those crossings.
  • Two tankers had left Iranian ports, two had departed the United Arab Emirates.
  • The largest, the Greek-owned Jiaolong, sailed from the UAE and arrived at the Indian port of Sikka.

Overall, traffic has run at about 5% of pre-war daily averages, industry trackers say. The drop has tightened supplies of refined fuel products, particularly in Asia, and trading houses and some national planners are scrambling for alternative sources and routes.

Economic knock-on: oil prices and storage tensions

Markets are responding to the disruption. Goldman Sachs raised its fourth-quarter Brent crude forecast to US$90 a barrel, citing reduced flows through Hormuz. US officials warned that Iran could soon face limits on storage and export options if the blockade and interdictions continue; Iranian state media denied Tehran lacks storage capacity.

The fighting's human and political toll

Lebanon's president publicly criticised militants in his country for rejecting direct talks with Israel and for dragging Lebanon into the wider regional confrontation. "I totally reject this war," he said, arguing Lebanon should not be drawn into conflict to benefit foreign interests.

Officials and reporting place the number of dead in Lebanon at more than 2,500, with over 7,000 wounded and more than 1 million people displaced. In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told security officials Israel has destroyed roughly 90% of what he described as Hezbollah's weapons stockpile compared with the start of the war, though analysts say the group still retains a large arsenal of rockets, missiles and drones.

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The US blockade announced on April 13 has cut traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to roughly 5% of its previous daily average — a collapse that has reshaped diplomatic calculations and pushed oil-price forecasts higher.

This article was created with AI assistance.