The U.S. struck Iran for a second consecutive day, eroding a fragile ceasefire
and leaving traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global energy
chokepoint — almost halted on Thursday. Vessel-tracking shows observable
transits concentrated on a northern, Iran-approved lane; the U.S.-backed Oman
corridor is largely empty. Among large ships, only one U.S.-sanctioned VLCC
departed the Persian Gulf and one Iranian-flag container ship was visible in the
strait; some vessels may have transited with transponders turned off. Kpler data
show a three-week average of 34 commercial transits per day since the temporary
reopening, a peak of 59 on June 24, and most days during the conflict averaging
below 20.
