Strait of Hormuz crossings halve as Iran-US negotiations remain deadlocked

Only seven commodity vessels traversed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, half the number from the previous day, according to shipping data from Kpler. The decline reflects heightened security concerns and the absence of progress in US-Iran peace talks, with no very large crude carriers or LNG tankers among the crossings. Oil prices have risen for a second consecutive week as the ongoing conflict disrupts supply from the region.

EXPANDED:

The sharp decline in Strait of Hormuz traffic follows a phone call between Omani and Iranian foreign ministers who discussed creating conditions for resuming dialogue and addressed developments affecting navigation in the strategic waterway. The absence of very large crude carriers and LNG tankers among Thursday's crossings signals that major energy shippers remain wary of the security environment.

Regional tensions have been compounded by Israel's air strike on a Syrian military base, which drew condemnation from more than a dozen Muslim nations, and by the widening diplomatic dispute between Turkey and Israel over the Gaza flot