The recent attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz presented yet another challenge to the fragile cease‑fire between the United States and Iran, as President Trump traveled to a NATO summit on Tuesday where the conflict was expected to be on the agenda.
A U.S. official reported on Monday evening that Iranian missiles struck two vessels in the strait, but no casualties were recorded.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, a naval‑led monitoring group, issued a notice early Tuesday. It detailed that a tanker off the coast of Oman had been hit by an unidentified projectile, which ignited a fire aboard the ship.
The notice did not disclose the tanker’s name or cargo, and it stated that no casualties or environmental damage had occurred. The incident took place near the eastern mouth of the strait.
Iran has not released any comment. Funeral ceremonies are underway nationwide for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader who was killed on the first day of the war, and diplomatic talks have been paused until the ceremonies conclude.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump, who was en route to Turkey for the NATO meeting, has yet to respond to the reports of ship strikes. He has publicly criticized NATO members for not fully supporting the United States in its campaign against Iran.
The strait, which normally facilitates a fifth of the world’s oil trade, was effectively blocked by Tehran after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February. The U.S. Navy also imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports, flooding global markets with a supply shock and driving up prices.
Traffic through the strait has begun to resume since the preliminary cease‑fire agreement went into effect on June 20. Nevertheless, the accord has been tested by sporadic flare‑ups Akko. The latest strikes were reported almost two weeks after another wave of attacks on Iranian ships, which triggered U.S. retaliation against Iranian military infrastructure.
Data from Kpler, a maritime analytics firm, record that 108 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz between Friday and Sunday—a reduction of 21 vessels compared to the preceding three days. Prior to the war, more than 100 ships a day routinely passed through the strait.
Iran has expressed its preference for vessels to remain on the coastal route along its own shore rather than the conventional central path near Oman, citing the risk of mines laid by the Iranian navy.
Many ships deactivate their transponders while navigating the strait, making it difficult to trace their exact routes and yielding an incomplete picture of traffic volumes.
Brent crude rose more than 1 % on Tuesday, reaching $73 a barrel, although the price has since rebounded toward pre‑war levels as energy exports from the Persian Gulf have gradually recovered. During the peak of fighting, Brent spiked as high as $118 a barrel.
The residual impact of the energy shock lingers, particularly in petroleum‑derived products. According to the AAA Motor Club, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States stood at $3.79 on Tuesday, roughly 27 % higher than before the conflict.
